In His Eyes
by RegulusBlackIsAHero
Summary: When Harry, Ron, and Hermione are taken to Malfoy Manor, there is already a man there. He has a particular animosity against Wormtail, and he claims to have been captured for an unbelievable amount of years. Oh yeah, and he also claims to be James Potter. Obviously, he's a Death Eater, but how would a Death Eater fake that hopeless, broken look in his eyes...
1. Malfoy Manor

"HERMIONE!" Ron shouted loudly, "HERMIONE!" It was too late. Harry and Ron were forced into the cellar by Wormtail, whose face was sneering at the fact that the last Potter was captured. Finally. Wormtail threw them in and stalked over to the corner of the cellar. Surprised he hadn't left, Harry and Ron listened to what he was snarling to something - someone - in the shadows.

"Well, it seems like you haven't snuffed it yet. Not like poor Padfoot or you're little Lily-flower. Imagine how surprised Sirius was when he discovered you weren't where he was going." Ron and Harry glanced at each other. This man knew Sirius? His body was still hidden in the shadows. It couldn't be Lupin, right? Was it someone from the Order?

"Imagine how unperturbed they'll feel when you have the decency to snuff it, and you don't end up where they went," the man retorted. His voice was weak and rasping but still held an enormous amount of defiance. He was strong, but there was an underlying amount of hopelessness in his voice, and Wormtail knew it.

"Crucio!" Wormtail snarled at the comment. The man, his gasps of pain echoing throughout the entire cellar, thrashed around but refused to scream. Harry had to admire his strength, as did Ron. Wormtail ended the curse as the man curled into a fetal position.

"Not so brave now, friend, are you? I'm the one on top now," Harry growled at the taunting voice Pettigrew used and the bloody fact that the rat was talking about bravery. The man uncurled himself slowly and snarled,

"Okay, Peter, we've seen how brave I am; how about you give me your wand, and we'll see about you." Ron and Harry glanced at each other. Both wondered the same thing. Who was this man? He seemed so adamant against Wormtail, and his simple, not bothered by the way he had been cursed. It said he had been under the cruciatus curse for a long, long time.

"Always the Gryffindor, are you? Even with a wand you couldn't escape. Malfoy tells me you don't even try to sit up anymore. You just lay there. Weak..." Pettigrew was laughing manically and enjoying himself entirely too much. He hadn't seemed the type to enjoy torture, and Harry's opinion of him dropped even further.

"I'm stronger than you are, you spineless fool. I don't care what you say. If everything you've said is true, if all my friends are... dead, then I've nothing to lose." Ron and Harry exchanged glances at the man's heart-broken tone.

"You are a fool, _Prongs_. Whom other than a fool would care more about their friends' lives than their own? And I'm hurt you no longer think of me as a friend." At the name Prongs, Harry and Ron let out a sharp gasp. It couldn't be... According to Lupin and Sirius, Prongs had referred to the long dead James Potter. This entire thing was a subterfuge. James Potter was certainly dead. Sirius had seen his body.

"You're the fool, Wormtail. How dare you pretend to still be my friend! You stopped being our friend the moment you turned to Voldemort!" the man exclaimed. "At school I thought you were so sweet, so innocent, and now, you're responsible for Lily's death. For _Harry's_ death." Ron and Harry turned to each other. Was it possible? Everything this man said told them that this was James Potter. He thought Harry to be dead... Strange. Everyone knew Harry was alive. If he didn't know about Harry then how long had he been here? No. No! It was all acting. This man was probably a Death Eater. They already knew Voldemort had no problems cursing one of his own.

"Crucio!" Wormtail used the curse a few more times before turning and leaving the basement. Harry and Ron raced over to the prisoner. Ron blamed it on Harry's nobleness thing. Even when everything told them this man was a Death Eater, Harry still wanted to make sure he was okay. He was slumped on the ground, his limbs splayed out painfully on the floor. The man was moaning softly, and he didn't acknowledge the two boys' presence. Harry touched him softly, trying to see how hurt he was. Immediately, the sounds the man had been making ceased.

"Leave, Death Eater," the man ordered, his voice soft and dead, as if he was only going through the motions now that Wormtail had left.

"I am no Death Eater," Harry stated coolly. The man painstakingly twisted himself to face Harry and out of the shadows. With revulsion he saw one of the man's arms was broken grotesquely, the bone poking out of the wound and dusted with dried blood and dirt. It was terrifying to look at, but the man seemed to barely notice it. That didn't make sense; surely, they wouldn't hurt one of their own that bad. Was it possible that this man truly was a prisoner? The man's face was bruised and dirty, but Harry and Ron's weren't much better. It was his eyes... In his eyes there were no emotions except resign. They looked… dead. His voice when Wormtail had come in had been a ruse. This man was truly defeated.

"Do you really think that I'd fall for that? Wormtail's getting mental in his old age. I'd say the same thing for Voldemort, but he's always been mental." Again, the man's defiant words didn't match his lost expression.

"D'you know there's a taboo on the name?" Ron said.

"What's Voldemort going to do? Find me? It's been sixteen years, if the others in here gave me the right date. The worst he can do is finally kill me, and I came to terms with the inevitability of my death years ago." Ron and Harry exchanged horrified glances. Sixteen years to be held under torture. Someone trying to trick them wouldn't say they had been here an _unbelievable _amount of years, would they? It didn't make sense. Though, if he was truly a prisoner, Voldemort was smart enough to realize that this man wouldn't turn, if it had been so long. Also, the man was speaking so calmly about death. It seemed as if the man just truly did not care anymore. The expression in his eyes could not be faked; Harry knew that much. How much had it taken to destroy this man's will to live?

"Do they want you to join?" Ron asked in revulsion. The man let out a bitter laugh.

"No." Ron and Harry looked at each other, bewildered. Why did they have this man if not trying to get him to join? "A… long time ago, I was very… important to the _right _side. They - your side – keep me here, as you know very well, just to see me broken, _weak._ It's pathetic how the Death Eaters take pleasure in it, especially Pettigrew." Harry felt a bit of inappropriate amusement that this man thought he and Ron were Death Eaters. It was also terrible. For this man to think the Boy-Who-Lived was a Death Eater, he had to have been speaking the truth about how long he had been in Malfoy Manor. Ron narrowed his eyes and asked,

"Why do you have a grudge against Wormtail?" The man once again laughed cynically.

"He indirectly killed my wife and child; along with sending my best friend to Azkaban." Harry swallowed, hard. This had to be a trick. Someone was impersonating the long dead James Potter. Harry, trying to get the Death Eater to slip, asked,

"D'you mean Sirius Black?" He ignored the aching pain in his chest that came from even mentioning Sirius' name. The Death Eater just stared at Harry and Ron, a dead expression in his eyes. Ron coughed awkwardly and prompted the man into saying,

"I do. Malfoy told me he was sent there; I didn't believe him until he showed me Sirius' Azkaban picture."

"He was killed recently," Ron stated, obviously trying the same plan as Harry. Both of them knew Sirius pretty well. If this Death Eater said something wrong about Sirius, then they would know he was a fake. Then again, Pettigrew had also known Sirius well.

"I know," the man said, his dead eyes darkening ever so slightly. Otherwise, his face showed no grief over his supposedly 'best friend's' death. "Pettigrew told me that he went mad in Azkaban and died there."

**Hi! I've had this idea for a long time, but I hate making summaries so I hadn't added it for a while! Please tell me if this is worth it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter!**


	2. Rock Bottom

Harry's eyes widened considerably with shock. He thought Sirius hadn't escaped Azkaban? _Everyone _knew had escaped from there. His picture had been pasted up on every available window for months. Then again, the man was claiming to have been in the Malfoy Manor cellar for sixteen years. With revulsion, Harry realized that, assuming this man was telling the truth, the Death Eaters wouldn't have wanted him to have any hope, no matter how small it was. And, if he was James Potter, as unbelievable as it was, he would probably care for his friends' lives even more than his own. At least Harry did, anyway, and Harry was supposed to be just like James. Ron, seeming to take pity on the man's lost expression, said in an almost soft tone,

"That's not true." The man just stared up with his dark, dark eyes; he was clearly not even allowing himself to hope. Harry swallowed hard; exactly how twisted with paranoia was this man after sixteen years? Even if it wasn't James Potter, he was a prisoner; Harry's gut told him that. It also, as much as he didn't want to recognize it, said that the prisoner would never be the same. Anyway, why would a Death Eater plot against them _after _they had been captured? There was no real point, unless it was just to spite them.

Suddenly, there was a shriek from upstairs. Seemingly unable to hold it in, Ron yelled back, as if it could help her,

"HERMIONE! HERMIONE!" The man flinched back at the yell, ever-so-slightly. Still, no emotion flashed in his eyes. There was a rustling sound from deeper within the cellar.

"Harry? Ron? Is that you?" A shadow emerged into the faint light. It was Luna.

"Luna?" Harry said, incredulously.

"Yes, it's me! Oh no! I didn't want you to get caught – oh." She let out a gasp of surprise at the man whom both boys were crouching next to. Her expression became even grimmer as she bit her lip and said in a lachrymose tone,

"Oh dear. He's getting worse…" Worse? Had Luna befriended this man? Harry relaxed slightly. As eccentric as she was, Luna was a startlingly good judge of character. The man showed no reaction to her words, and as the conversation continued, he only watched, uninterested, as if it wasn't about him.

"Worse?" Harry questioned. Before Luna could answer, another one of Hermione's screams echoed off the walls.

"HERMIONE!" Ron yelled again. Luna, after looking up to the ceiling sadly, fixed her eyes of the man and said,

"He doesn't want to live anymore." Luna clarified. The man had no reaction, not even a flash in his hazel eyes. Harry felt goose bumps rise on his arms; Luna's words echoing though his head, as if mocking him. It made a terrible amount of sense. The dead look in his eyes; the almost _longing _way he spoke of his own death… He wanted it to happen, _needed _it to happen. It was one of the most appalling things Harry had ever seen. Never, not even in Sirius' eyes less than a year after his escape from Azkaban, had he seen this man's expression. It was horrendous, gruesome, unspeakable, _and it made sense. _Finally, the man spoke. The words seemed to be trying to defend his reasons, but the tone was so exact, _so definite, _yet so tired. It was as if a moiety of his soul was gone, and it would never be recovered.

"I have nothing to live for." Another voice materialized from the gloom.

"That's not true, Mr. Potter." Mr. Olivander came into sight from the cellar's shadows. When the man showed no signs of responding, his interest in the conversation solely about him fading, Harry asked in a low tone,

"Is it really him?" Mr. Olivander fixed his unnerving gaze unblinkingly on Harry, and Harry was immediately reminded of his vision of Olivander being tortured by Voldemort.

"I recognize every wand I have ever sold, Mr. Potter. The wand that Mr. Pettigrew was using belonged – _belongs _– to James Potter." Ron looked at James in pity, which James didn't notice, his eyes already fixed on something only he could see

"Why does Wormtail use his wand?" he wondered. Before anyone could answer, another one of Hermione's screams echoed through the cellar. Ron raced to the door, but of course, it wouldn't budge. After a moment, he came back, realizing he was no help to Hermione. Besides, they were going to escape, _right? _And the more they knew about this man; the more they could _trust him; _the more likely it was that they'd have his help to escape, too. He clearly understood exactly how Malfoy Manor worked after being there so long. They needed to make _James _trust them. When he returned, and Hermione's screams fell to muffled sobs, something that broke Ron's heart, James answered, surprising, seeing as his eyes were still focused on nothing,

"To ridicule me. One day, though, he'll kill me with it." James' voice adopted a soft tone as he spoke of his death, as if the topic was delicate, as if it was a wish or a dream, rather than a nightmare. Harry shivered slightly and said,

"You still have something to live for! What about Remus?" James refused to bring his eyes off the ground. With revulsion, Harry noticed for the first time that it was slick with James' blood. That was when he truly realized how terrible James looked. His hair was past messy and hung down past his shoulders. He had a mustache and a beard. They were caked with dirt and _blood._ Scratches and scars, some new, some old, were on his arms and legs. They were from when he was under the Cruciatus curse, and the pain was so great that he had tried to claw his own skin off to stop it, to numb it. He was shivering, and the clothes he wore were in tatters. Under his eyes were dark rings, and his lips were split in more than one place. One of his arms was broken harrowingly. Most of the blood had probably been caused by it. The bone seemed to have tried to heal itself, and only managed to heal the incorrect way. It probably ached as though it had been run over by a horde of Thestrals.

"Remus is dead. _They_ killed him. I'm the last one left, and I won't be for much longer," James said lugubriously. Luna responded quietly,

"Oh no, James. Professor Lupin is alive. It's all right." Of everyone, James appeared to trust Luna the most, though not much. He glanced up at her quickly, before returning his eyes to the cold stone. After a moment of silence, he looked up and met her eyes fully.

"Professor?" he asked quietly.

"Oh yes!" Luna said with an expression bordering happiness. "He was the best Defense Professor we ever had." James eyes gained a sparkle in them, as he thought of his old friend. Against his own will and better judgment, he had begun to hope – _wish –_ that it would be true. James smiled ever-so-slightly. The first real smile, not bitter, not sardonic, that Harry could remember from his father.

"That sounds like him," James breathed, "Did he know _Padfoot _was innocent?" There was a strange emphasis on the word 'Padfoot'. It hit Harry why right as Ron answered, still clearly worried about Hermione,

"After third year he did!" Harry almost groaned aloud with frustration. That had been a _test. _To the best ofJames' knowledge no one but he, Remus, Sirius, and Wormtail had known their nicknames. For Ron to recognize them, it would mean to James that Wormtail had told them. Harry was right for James' eyes immediately lost their gleam and returned to their dead state, but they seemed even more lost than before. That was why James was so leery as to trust them. Each time he had hoped, his hopes had been crushed into nothing, leaving him even more broken each time. And he was almost at rock bottom with no way back up.

**Hi! Sorry for how angsty this is. I've read too many stories that have James never die or come back to life that are all happy and cheerful and don't seem very real. I have finally decided if James will get better or not! **

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**PonygalBlack0911: Thanks! Sorry, though. I'm afraid this chapter doesn't make James any more animated.**

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**Golden Snitch : I already know how the Priori Incantantum worked! I made sure to find a way for that to work before I posted the first chapter because I didn't want the fanfic to lose quality.**

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**the red ape: Luna and Olivander are in this chapter! This is even sadder, but it's an angst for a reason, so…..**

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	3. Insanity

James' eyes fell to the blood-spattered stones. He shifted to face away from them, somehow making even his crab-like shuffle look dignified. Harry shot a look at Ron, even though he knew it wasn't truly Ron's fault. Luna clucked her tongue sadly as she stared at James. Hermione let out another piercing scream, causing Ron to bite his lip to keep from screaming her name. He winced from the horrible noise, hearing Bellatrix's voice emerge from upstairs.

"I'm going to ask you again! Where did you get this sword? Where?" Hermione sobbed an incomprehensible answer. Surprisingly, James reacted to the sound,

"Who is that?" Ron was pale as he heard her scream once more. Harry had to swallow several times to say,

"One of my best friends." In this situation, had it been anyone else who'd asked the question, he wouldn't have answered. This was his _father_, though. He couldn't just ignore him. Plus, it seemed that James still wasn't completely convinced they were Death Eaters; though he seemed to be trying to stamp that part of himself out. There had been a flash in James' eyes that seemed to say that his instincts were trying to get him to trust them. Then again, he'd trusted Pettigrew with his instincts, too. Ron glanced at Harry.

"We _have_ to get out of here, Harry! We have to save Hermione!" Desperate, Harry started searching his mind for something – _anything _– that could help them. Finally remembering the piece of Sirius' mirror, where he'd seen Dumbledore's blue eye reflected back at him, he pulled it out. James let out a sharp gasp that seemed to crackle against his dry throat. At last, he whispered,

"_That's Padfoot's mirror."_ Harry met his eyes, which were staring up meeting his eyes. Finally, James' eyes narrowed, causing a thin cut on his face to scrunch up, and he said, "Did you steal it, Death Eater?" The words sent a pang through Harry. It hurt for someone not to recognize exactly how close he'd been to Sirius. A voice inside Harry's head seemed to tell him that James would hate him more when he realized that Sirius' death had been completely, without-a-doubt, Harry's fault. Shaking his head to help focus on the dire situation, Harry looked into the mirror and said desperately,

"Help us! We're at the cell in Malfoy Manor! Help us!" James cocked his head to the side, bewilderment crossing his pale features for only a second before he shook his head and the expression faded. He did not remove his eyes once from Harry's figure, though, even if his expression was completely blank.

Bellatrix said something else that was too screechy to be understood. Hermione sobbed a reply that tore at both boys' hearts. Then Bellatrix's voice came clearly, an order to someone with her.

"A copy! Fetch the goblin! He can tell us whether or not the sword is real!" Shaky footsteps began to near the cellar. Harry turned to the goblin and said urgently,

"Griphook." Harry faced the goblin that had removed himself from the shadows during Bellatrix's rant. "You must tell them the sword is fake! They mustn't know it's the real one! Please, Griphook!" Before Griphook could reply, a voice echoed through the dim light. It was Draco Malfoy, though his voice appeared weaker and more wavering then Harry had ever imagined the pure-blood to sound. His threats seemed weak.

"Stand back! Line up against the back wall! Don't try anything, or I'll kill you." James chuckled at the empty threat and made no move to try and shuffle towards the wall. Harry doubted he could stand at all anymore. Ron, Luna, and Ollivander were beside him and another figure emerged from the black. Harry recognized Dean Thomas. Draco entered the cell and gave a pathetic try at a vindictive smile at James.

"I thought I said line up against the back wall," he drawled. Harry felt his blood boil inside of him. So this was how Draco had known Sirius was innocent. He had known James wasn't dead.

"It will be a sad day when I listen to wannabe, baby Death Eaters." Draco made an angry noise in his throat. "That's what you are, Malfoy junior. That's all you ever were. You're just as bad as Pettigrew. You must get along together grand. Two sniveling, baby Death Eaters." Draco's eyes flashed and he raised his wand, crying,

"Crucio!" James barely twitched.

"_Weak._" he muttered despairingly, "Your father could do better than that in third year. The Death Eaters your snake sent down here as prisoners could do better." Harry and Ron glanced at each other. James meant them.

"What? Death Eaters?" Suddenly, Draco let out a loud laugh. "Potty and the Weasel! You think they're Death Eaters!" Draco smirked and pretended to wipe a tear of mirth off his face. Then he turned to Harry and Ron,

"Way to go, Potter! The one person in the _entire _Wizarding World that thinks you're a Death Eater is your own father." James seemed to choke on the floor. Harry stared back, his thoughts consumed by the single thought of how much he hated Malfoy. Malfoy's tone became more serious as he continued, "Oh? It seems you haven't told him… Poor Potty. He finally finds his father and discovers that he's completely insane…" James frowned, his gaze drifting to the floor. It was quiet for a moment before James spoke quietly,

"It's not true… This isn't the first time something like this has ever happened… My only son is dead." With a shiver, Harry realized that James wasn't talking to anyone. He was talking to himself. It was the first time that James had done something to show that he was… slipping. Anyone whom had been held under torture for so long would lose their will to live, but… Was Draco right? Had James Potter, Harry's _father _gone completely insane? It – no. It couldn't happen. They'd escape; James would be fine, right? A little voice reminded him that in his third year, he'd thought that all would be fine with Sirius, too. And where did he end up then? Flying away on a bloody hippogriff. Draco, after spending almost a full minute smirking at the haggard father and son, ordered,

"Goblin. Come here." Slowly, Griphook stepped away from the wall and over to Malfoy. Roughly, Malfoy grabbed him by the arm and marched him out of the cell. Behind him, the door swung shut again, blocking their exit. The cell's occupants could hear the footsteps move up the stairs clearly, as if mocking them. Harry glanced at James, whom was staring at him with disbelief and revulsion. As soon as he saw that Harry had noticed, his expression changed to nothingness in barely a second. Bellatrix screamed something and Griphook replied. Harry could only hope that Griphook had listened to him and told Bellatrix it was a fake. Suddenly, as the prisoners waited with baited breath, there was a loud crack. Ron spun around and yelled,

"DOB-!" Harry smacked his arm to get him to stop. He quickly shut up, realizing how stupid he would have been to yell. James took in a sharp breath. Then he breathed,

"Dobby… I – I thought-" Dobby spun around and looked at James.

"Mister James! Dobby is happy to see you again, sir!" James just stared back a moment before saying,

"Why'd you come here? I thought- after you disappeared-"

"Dobby was freed, sir! Dobby has come to help Harry Potter and his friends!" James' eyes dropped to the ground at the mention of his supposedly-alive son. Harry grimaced at the rejection but didn't react; this was neither the time nor the place for that. Another piercing shriek from Hermione got Harry to get over the shock. Quickly he asked,

"You can Disapparate out of this cellar?" Dobby nodded, his eyes flicking from Harry to James and back again. Surprisingly, James voiced another thought,

"And you can take humans with you?" Dobby's eyes turned to James fully. He then nodded. Harry sent the house elf a tight smile, and then said in a straightforward tone,

"Right. Dobby, I want you to take James, Luna, Dean, and Mr. Ollivander and take them – take them to –" Ron broke in quickly,

"Bill and Fleur's. Shell Cottage on the outskirts of Tinsworth!" Harry nodded in agreement,

"And then come back. Can you do that, Dobby?" Dobby smiled at him,

"Of course, Harry Potter." He grabbed Mr. Ollivander's hand and motioned for the others to come over. Reluctantly, Luna and Dean took a step towards him before Luna burst out,

"Harry, we want to help you!" Dean added his own opinion,

"We can't leave you here!" Harry waved them on, saying,

"Go! All of you! We'll see you at Bill and Fleur's." Grudgingly, they grabbed Dobby's outstretched hand. Dobby then reached for James' but James narrowed his eyes. He wriggled away a step or two before saying,

"This is all a trick, isn't it? You're all Death Eaters, aren't you?" His pupils were dilated and his eyes wide and staring around almost hysterically. "Dobby was probably ordered into this."

"It's not a trick, Mister James!" Dobby cried, but James shook his head deliriously.

"No! _No…_" Suddenly, James let out a loud, harsh laugh. "You had me going there, for a second. You

"Who is that?" Lucius Malfoy's voice rang clearly from over their heads. "_That's Potter. _They're doing something down there! Draco – no, call Wormtail! Make him go and check!"

James acted as if he hadn't heard Malfoy.

"Points for creativity, though. Never had one this realistic. I'm surprised your master isn't here to Crucio me when I least suspect it!" A mad light glinted in his eyes. For the first time since realizing whom James was, Harry was scared of him. Scared of the fact that James seemed so far _gone…_

"Dobby, go! Leave James!" Ron yelled suddenly. Dobby stared at him wide-eyed, while Harry spun around angrily,

"We can't-" Ron roared loudly,

"We have to!" There was crack as Dobby disapparated. James' laughter slowed, though the barmy look in his eyes still flickered wildly. Footsteps could be heard until there was a rattling sound by the door. Harry and Ron nodded to each other. They were ready to take him out.

"Stand back! Stand away from the door! I am coming in."

**Sorry for the long wait, guys! I just started freshman year of high school like three weeks ago. And I already have a C in math (No surprise there. How I am in advanced math I will never know) **

**I hope you like this. I don't think it's my best work, but I really wanted to update this.**

**Please review! They make my day! I'm hoping to get to at least eighty reviews for this chapter! (Though, I find it ridiculous when writers say they won't update until they get that many, so don't worry about that from me.)**

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**Jannafrancine - I'm okay with ranting, the longer the better. Unfortunately, I am not good at writing romance… (No, seriously. Once I tried and it turned into a rape story… Evil, perverted plot bunny!) Also, I can't even describe a kiss without clichés because… I've never had my first kiss (GASP!) I'm too much of a nerd for that… Sirius is not going to come back to life. This is angst for a reason. In the end, everyone's not going to be running off into the sunset while skipping and holding hands. Remus'll die too, just like in canon. Sorry!**

** - Thanks! I'm honored that you think it's good enough to read as one of your first English fanfics.**

**Anora Blaze Trueheart – True, but at rock bottom it's pretty hard to get a foothold off the ground. And if you manage, you can always fall back down again. Life debts work when you save someone's life, not kill someone close to them.**

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**Thanks to all my reviewers! Including the guests that read it!**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER. I ONLY STEAL IDEAS FROM J.K. ROWLING TO MAKE THIS.**


	4. The Silver Knife

Wormtail entered the room; his beady eyes flickering with confusion as he saw only James huddled on the ground. Before he had a chance to react, not even to the wild light in James' eyes, Harry and Ron jumped at him, knocking him to the ground. James watched with impassive eyes as Harry and Ron pulled Wormtail to the ground. James looked slightly surprised when Wormtail latched his hand around Harry's throat. He hadn't expected Wormtail to actually harm one of his fellow Death Eaters. In fact, he'd expected the fight to look pretty fake, but Harry had slapped a hand over Wormtail's mouth, stopping all noise forcibly.

"What is it, Wormtail?" Lucius Malfoy called. Harry and Ron glanced at each other in mild panic. Neither of them could imitate voices.

"N – nothing, all f – fine!" James called out suddenly, in an uncanny imitation of Wormtail's voice. Ron's mouth dropped open, but before he could really react to James' help, James had lowered his gaze to the floor once more.

"Are you going to kill me?" Harry choked out harshly, "After I saved your life? _You owe me, Wormtail_!" James raised his eyes once again, finally seeing the true danger that Wormtail's hand brought. Wormtail didn't react to Harry's words, his silver hand tightening.

"Let him go," James whispered. Wormtail's eyes spun around to James, and he grinned sadistically. "You're weak, Wormtail. _You're nothing_. If anyone should die, then it should be you." Wormtail tightened his hand further and said,

"I'm the strong one, now_. Prongs, I'm going to kill your son_." James narrowed his eyes; he still looked disbelieving about if Harry was his son or not.

"Congrats, Wormtail. You're strong enough to kill a child, whom doesn't have a wand. Does it even count as you killing him? I mean, you're using Voldemort's hand. Did you borrow his nose, too?" James' voice was stronger in his anger. Harry choked weakly, his eye beginning to roll back into his head. Ron was trying with difficulty to pry Wormtail's hand off. For a moment, Wormtail's hand twitched from Harry's throat, desperately wanting to reach for James' instead. In that one second of pure fury, Ron was able to wrench the hand away. Then he shoved Wormtail to the floor as Harry sank to the ground, coughing wildly. Wormtail looked shocked and furious at James, and at the large part of himself that wanted to kill James so much. Then his expression changed to fear as Harry, still recovering, grabbed Wormtail's wand out of his normal hand.

"Check his pocket," James rasped, anger gone. Harry and Ron turned to look at him in surprise.

"What?" Ron questioned. James didn't look at him.

"That's my wand. Get his too." Harry looked at the wand in his wand with a slight bit of awe. He was holding his father's wand. Ron reached into Wormtail's pocket, looking disgusted as he touched Wormtail. Then he pulled out a second wand. Wormtail's eyes dilated with pure terror. Then his silver hand betrayed its owner and spun around to grasp his own throat.

"_No-"_ Harry said, trying to tug the silver hand from Wormtail's throat. James looked horrified as Wormtail collapsed to the ground. Then his expression disappeared as one of cold acceptance replaced it after mere seconds.

"No! _Relashio!"_ Ron tried to remove the hand with Wormtail's own wand. It didn't work, and only seconds later, Wormtail was dead. James swallowed audibly and met Ron's eyes. Then he asked,

"Why'd you try to help him?" For a second, Ron gaped at James, surprised by the malice in his voice. Then he seemed to remember how Wormtail had treated James. How he had cursed him with his own wand. Harry clenched his teeth, not for the first time wishing he had let Lupin and Sirius kill Wormtail in his third year. This was proof; James would have wanted Wormtail dead. He would have wanted his two best friends to rid the world of that filth together, before it could hurt him so badly. Ron shook him out of his thoughts by saying,

"Because this war has already killed too many." Harry looked at his friend, shocked. Did Ron really just say something that sensible and wise? James didn't react, just stared into Ron's eyes until Ron turned away awkwardly. Ron met Harry's eyes, clearly noticing Harry had been staring at him open-mouthed.

"C'mon, Harry. We have to go." As if to answer them, Hermione let out another piercing scream. Both rushed up the stairs, almost forgetting about James in the process. He refused to come with them, anyway. What could they do about that? Besides, it was much more important to get Hermione out of there. Hermione was screaming, louder than anything they could've imagined. Then it stopped suddenly. Hermione was lying at Bellatrix's feet, barely moving as she let out a deep groan. Bellatrix was talking to Griphook.

"Well? Is this the true sword?" Griphook had his hand on the blade, looking at it with awe. Finally he said,

"No. It is a fake."

"Are you sure?" Bellatrix said desperately, "Quite sure?"

"Yes." Bellatrix smiled maliciously. She raised her left arm slowly and said,

"And now we call the Dark Lord!" She pressed a finger to her mark, and at once pain flew through Harry's scar. Voldemort was elated over his capture. "And I think we can dispose of the Mudblood. Greyback, take her if you want her!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Harry winced as Ron screamed and growled, "Over my dead body!" Bellatrix spun around in shock. Her gaze intensified as she realized Ron and Harry had both burst into the room, wands out. All three Malfoys pulled out their wands and began dueling. Greyback followed their lead after a moment of hesitation. Harry and Ron dueled for a good minute, each equally skilled as their opponent.

"Stop or she dies!" Harry and Ron spun around to face Bellatrix. She was holding Hermione up, supporting what looked like her entire weight. There was a silver knife to her throat.

"Drop your wands," she said quietly, furiously, "Drop them, or we'll see exactly how filthy her blood is!" Both continued to hold their respective wands.

"_I said drop them_!" Bellatrix screeched. Drops of red blood appeared on Hermione's red skin. Harry and Ron dropped their wands at the same moment, meeting each other's eyes and recognizing that it was all over. As they watched, Bellatrix was suddenly flung backward, her wand flying out of her hand and over their heads. Hermione collapsed to the ground, and Harry and Ron spun around, looking for whomever caused the explosion.

To their utter shock, James was standing there. He struck an oddly impressive figure, leaned against one of the stone walls, broken arm dangling straight down, swinging slightly. It was clear he had no control over how it was moving. His other arm was extended forward, pointing at where Bellatrix had been standing. It was holding Bellatrix's wand and shaking slightly, as was the rest of his body. His head was tilted back to rest upon the wall, his pale face gasping for air.

"_I've been wanting to do that for years,"_ he rasped.

Then in one fluid motion, Bellatrix's wand dropped from his hand, and he collapsed

**Hi Everyone! Hope you guys like this! I know it's a bit short… This chapter really isn't my favorite… Anyway, it shouldn't be long until the next is up; I know what'll happen in it… **

**Up next: Escaping and Shell Cottage**

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine! **

**Please read and review! **

**SuperHeroFanGurl- Sorry it took so long!**

**acciohome – Thanks! Hope you think this one is just as good! I love plot twists!**

**minea : I'm not really sure how it'll end yet.**

**mynameisfathead: Hope you're just as happy with this update!**

**k : I'll let you in on a secret. I don't know if he'll get better yet! Anyway, thanks for reading!**

**WeasleyTheAgent : I hope it's up to your expectations!**

**ProngsandI : Thanks! I really am trying to make this as realistic as possible!**

**kittyhawk09: Thanks! That's kind of sad considering I'm not very good at writing humour, though… 'Making the world more angsty one writing at a time!'**

**errew : Thanks! Personally, I think both Wormtail and Draco are a lot more ruthless thwn they were in the canon series.**

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**happy-go-lucky writer : Thanks! I got the idea when I was reading an alive!James fic that was really bad with writing about emotions…**

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**theRedApe : Well, James dragged himself along with them, so… Besides, a lot of James' injuries are mental rather than physical. The Death Eaters were careful not to break him too bad physically.**

**singingcaro : thanks! Hope you enjoy this chapter as well!**

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**Anora Blaze Trueheart : The rat is DEAD! I don't know if James'll get better yet, though…**

**Fino-Lilian : I changed my plans about what would happen in this chapter, ended up taking out the thing you would hate me for… It is kinda refreshing to write this… I love Alive!James fics, so I know mine is definitely different.**

**Ulimo : I think I can tell you aren't fond of Draco****. Yeah, that crab-walk would be cool to see. I know about the fans, but I think I'm leaning in that direction…**

**FredNeverDied : Sorry bout that! Hope you like this chapter, though! It's a cliffhanger (evil smirk…)**

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** : I'll keep it up. Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

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**HogwartsDreamer113 : I haven't decided yet… but I'm leaning towards him not getting better…**

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**Rocket2Jupiter : Thank you!**

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed this!**


	5. Shell Cottage

Harry unconsciously took a step towards James. Ron grasped his arm and pulled him back to where the Malfoys were standing, wands out. Hermione had once more collapsed to the ground, lifeless. Harry swallowed hard at the sight of one of his best friends on the ground. Then he grabbed James' wand. Beside him, Ron was already holding Wormtail's wand. Lucius Malfoy shot the first Stupefy at Harry.

"Protego!" Harry yelled. Draco and Narcissa joined the fight, stepping beneath the large chandelier. Lucius Malfoy shot another stupefy at them, and Ron retaliated, making Malfoy senior drop to the ground, unconscious. Suddenly, a strange grating sound was heard from the ceiling. Surprised, Ron faltered, and Pettigrew's wand was flung from his hand. It clattered to the ground near James' unconscious form. Draco and Narcissa, finally pausing in their dueling, glanced up just as the giant, extravagant chandelier began to fall. Taking the much-needed distraction, Harry hit Draco with an expelliarmus. He was flung backwards, and Harry caught Draco's wand easily with his Seeker reflexes. Before Draco could react, the chandelier crashed down, burying both him and Griphook beneath the wreckage. Hermione had – luckily – collapsed a few feet behind the chandelier, thrown back slightly by James' magic. Narcissa had had enough time to throw herself out of the way. In the chaos, Harry noticed that Bellatrix had started to stir. Now, she blinked open her eyes, but still, she seemed unable to stand up straight. Narcissa immediately rushed over and pulled Draco from the ruins. Bellatrix tried to struggle to her feet, noticeably wincing as she tried to put weight on her left ankle. Narcissa, after making sure Draco was safe, gasped and pointed her wand straight at where James was. Harry and Ron glanced around to see Dobby standing there.

"Dobby!" Narcissa yelled, "_You!_ You dropped the chandelier!" Dobby, managing to look that mix of threatening and adorable that only a house-elf can, said,

"You must not harm Harry Potter!" With a snap of his fingers, two things happened. Narcissa's wand was flung into his hand, and Greyback was flung backward. Bellatrix growled at him; though she was still slumped on the floor, unable to stand on a clearly swollen ankle,

"You little monkey! How dare you defy your masters!" Dobby straightened up with pride,

"Dobby has no master! Dobby is a free elf, and Dobby has come to save Harry Potter and his friends!" Harry and Ron glanced at each other and nodded. In a moment, Harry had thrown James' wand to Ron. Racing around the debris from the once-amazing chandelier, Ron scooped Hermione into his arms, bridal style. Harry grabbed Griphook, and in a matter of seconds, both were by James' unconscious form. Harry glanced back at Bellatrix, whom had produced a knife from a pocket in her robe and was aiming it at them. Then he reached down and grabbed Dobby's hand. Three things happened at once. Dobby diapparated, Bellatrix threw the knife, and Harry accidentally kicked Bellatrix's wand into James' broken arm. As he did so, James jerked awake as if burnt and let out a piercing scream. It shouldn't have hurt that badly. the wand hadn't been rolling fast. Instead, James was acting like it had burnt him.

To Harry and Ron's horror, James didn't stop screaming until the wand was kicked away from him. Harry knelt down next to him, noticing something red and moving on James' broken arm. The bone was broken just above it. He carefully flipped it over, expecting a bad burn. He wasn't prepared for the horror of what he saw. On James arm, much like the Dark Mark, there was a snake slithering. However, instead of only being a snake, there was a vivid picture of the snake having a phoenix's neck in its mouth. The phoenix was crying, it's tears dripping uselessly from the phoenix's expressive, dark eyes. The symbolism was clear. Voldemort had won against the Order of the Phoenix. Though, after everything they'd lied about to James, he believed that they had. Harry glanced up at Ron with horror. Ron's eyes were also transfixed to the horrible tattoo on James arm.

"Dobby? This is Shell Cottage? _Right, Dobby_?" There was no answer. Harry turned around, still seeing the horrible image when he blinked his eyes. Dobby was standing, swaying slightly, with a small hand grasping the silver handle of the knife protruding out of him.

"DOBBY! HELP!" Harry cried. He turned to Shell Cottage, looking at the small figures he could see moving inside desperately. "_HELP!"_ he called out again. Once more, there was no answer. Dobby tried to take a step forward but stumbled, falling into Harry's arms.

"Harry… Potter…" he murmured once.

"_No…"_ Harry whispered, voice cracking with emotion, but Dobby was already gone. Harry sat there for a long time, all the while murmuring Dobby's name. His vision seemed to flicker. For a moment, he was seeing Dumbledore's corpse lying out before him. He shook his head, and the corpse once again switched to Dobby's.

A hero's death is grand, somber, yet, almost beautiful. Perfect scenery, even in the midst of battle. A moment of silence, a heartbeat, where the soul mourned for a hero. It didn't have to be long, but everyone would notice it; they'd turn, look at the fallen body and grieve. Hearts would connect, enemy and ally would still for a moment, remembrance deep in their essence. The hero would be sleeping, their wounds looking smaller and less important as one was swamped with memories. Everything would come flying back, arguments, imperfections. The body would seem soft and gentle, a calm expression alight on the hero's face.

Dobby's death was perfect for a hero. He had fallen at a place where the waves washed around their ankles softly. The blue of the sea shining against the afternoon sun. Everything seemed to slow for a moment. The water birds quit singing… the waves seemed to lull from crash to a soft whisper. The moment of grieving was obvious and felt by everyone. Bill and Fleur... Luna and Dean… Ron… All those not badly injured could feel it. Dobby had never seemed like a hero. Only in death did one truly look at the House elf whom never acted like a house elf and realize exactly how much of a hero he truly was. Dobby's eyes were relaxed, the muscles in the face soft and gentle. He had had no fear while entering death's domain. Dobby was a hero.

After a timeless moment, Harry turned around, still holding Dobby in his arms. It was several hours later that Harry went inside, tears still visible in his bloodshot eyes. He went to sleep still mourning the hero.

"How's Hermione?" Harry asked the next morning. He was at breakfast, and Harry, Ron, Bill, and Fleur were having breakfast. Fleur answered,

"Ze's alright. I've healed 'er. Ze just needs to sleep it off." Ron swallowed visibly. Harry bit his lip and asked,

_"How – how's James?"_ Bill looked at Harry seriously,

"Harry," he said gravely, "Are you positive that that is James Potter? We know it's not Polyjuice but…" Surprisingly, Ron answered,

"It's him. None of you saw him while he was awake. It – it was his expression. You can't fake that." Bill nodded once and said,

"We should probably bring Lupin out here to check. I met James Potter three times when I was a kid, but I can't hope to recognize him now." Harry felt a pang go through his chest. Biting his lip, he glanced at Ron. Then he said,

"I'm not sure if that's a good idea…" Fleur's face scrunched up with confusion.

"'Arry? What do you mean?" Bill had a pensive look on his face. Harry felt tears well up in the corners of his eyes. Could he say it? Merlin, could he even think it? His throat had gone intensely dry. Ron saved him from answering by saying,

"Bill… he was held by – by the Death Eaters for years… He – he's sick…" Bill looked horrified at what Ron was hinting at. Fleur gasped and said,

"You can't mean –" Harry nodded grimly, tears leaking onto his cheek. Bill looked at him calculatingly before saying,

"Do you think he can get better?" Harry wanted so badly to tell Bill that of course James would get better. After all, the Marauders had already been torn up so badly. Lupin and James deserved to be happy. However, Harry was quickly realizing that in war, what people deserve isn't usually what they get. After all, Sirius was proof of that. Eventually, Harry forced himself to say,

"I don't know, Bill. When we were there… They lied to him, Bill. He thought I was dead and Lupin. He thought the first war never ended…" Fleur put a hand over her mouth in shock.

"So, 'e's been zere zat whole time?" Ron nodded, looking uncharacteristically somber. Harry looked at Ron and asked,

"Ron, did you tell Bill about what was on James' arm?" Ron wordlessly shook his head no. Harry took in a shuddering breath and said,

"When D – Dobby saved us… a wand brushed against James' arm, and he started screaming like it was burning him or something. I went to see what was wrong, and I saw a – a mark on his arm." Bill narrowed his eyes, obviously thinking it was the Dark Mark. Ron continued talking, finishing Harry's thought,

"It was a snake that was biting a phoenix. The phoenix was crying, but the tears weren't able to fall where they needed to go." Bill sucked in a deep breath and asked,

"You say it was like he was burnt by the wand?" Noiselessly, both boys nodded, their eyes fixed on Bill's face.

"It – it sounds like a curse I was taught about. Apparently, they used to be very popular. Now, they're very illegal. A mark like that is called an inhibitio magicae. It stops the flow of magic to a wizard's wand hand. Essentially, it makes them a muggle and if magic does touch the area near the mark, then it feels like poison running through the entire mark." Harry felt his jaw drop. Was that how they had kept James from escaping? Had they made him unable to work with magic? Harry vividly remembered James holding out his unbroken arm and the magic that pulsed with it.

"He used magic there," Ron said quietly. Bill nodded slowly,

"I could be wrong. I'll have to look at it before I know for sure-"

"No," Harry said, "He didn't have a wand at that point. He used his other hand." Bill whistled softly,

"Wandless magic? And with his opposite arm, too… He's one strong wizard to be able to do that. Then again, from what I knew about him before… he was a great Auror. Mum didn't like him much… Probably because she thought we'd pick up ideas from them. Anyway, there was a reason that You-Know-Who went after your entire family that night, Harry. You weren't the only one he wanted to get out of his hair." Ron, obviously trying to lighten the mood, smirked slightly and said,

"What hair?" Although it wasn't a great joke, Harry was grateful for it. They had a few moments of amusement before Bill said,

"We'll wait until he wakes up. Then we can decide about Remus."

**Hi guys! Sorry that it has taken me so long to update! First year in high school, you know! Mum's already on my back for missing a homework in math. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter! **

**Read and Review as always! I'm hoping to get to 140! I do have some news however!**

**For those of you that haven't seen this yet:**

THIS IS IMPORTANT!

I love reading reviews that tell me not only what they liked, but also what to revise in the fic! While, I am not discouraging reviews of any kind, I made up a little points system.

If you review one of my chapters (in any fic), and in that review have at least:

-One thing you liked

-One thing you didn't like

Then you receive a point.

For every two points (reviewing any two of my chapters with the criteria listed above), I will read and review (a good, constructive review) on one of your chapters, or more if I enjoy reading it.

For every seven points: I will review every chapter in one of your fics. It's your choice which one.

For every fifteen points: I will write you a fic! Tell me which characters, and I promise it'll be 1000 words! The only thing is: I suck at vivid romances. I'm more… heartfelt talk then passionate kissing.

Send me a PM when you reach one of the numbers. Have it include which chapters you reviewed, how many points you have, (if at this point level) which fic you would like me to red and review, and (if you are at this level) which characters/ prompt/ what you want in the fic I write for you!

Remember, if you don't have time for a constructive review, just give me a little one anyway. I DO NOT IN ANY WAY DISCOURAGE ANY TYPE OF REVIEW! Tell me just how terrible this is, if it's your opinion! I DO NOT get offended easily over my fics!

**Soon to come: James reaction to the escape! It should be pretty surprising! **

**Fino-Lilian : Thanks! I'm sorry 'bout that. That's one of my problems as a writer. I can't watch someone read what I wrote because I get myself so convinced they'll hate it… My friends actually call my tendency to do that pathetic.**

**Nimbus Llewelyn : Right now, I'm actually leaning towards James not getting better. Sorry!**

**raspberry dreams : Thank you! I plan on taking a few writing courses in college. Journalism is too depressing, so that's not for me, but I am currently working on a novel. NaNoWriMo here I come!**

**Anora Blaze Trueheart : Sorry it's been a while! Anyway, I had a lot of satisfaction in killing Pettigrew. Whenever I get annoyed at my characters, I write their death scenes. Most never even happen in my fics. I have at least eight different scenes where Harry, Ron, or Hermione die, and I've never used one of them.**

**fan-de-carlisle-cullen : Yeah he was! I'm a firm believer that if James had had his wand on him when Voldemort came that that would have been one hell of a duel!**

**Ulimo 10/15/12 : I'm glad he's dead, too. I cannot write a canon Wormtail. You can tell that in this he's a bit OOC. I just can't do all the crying and being pathetic… I'm on the edge with the Malfoys. I certainly don't think they were really on Harry's side, but like J.K. Rowling said, Draco is a lot like Regulus Black. He wanted to be a Death Eater but had no idea of what it really meant. **

**singingcaro : I hope this was up to your expectations, then!**

**horselovr171 : I'm sorry, but Sirius will not be coming back to life in this. James will take a lot to convince, and I'm not sure if that'll happen either, yet.**

**SuperHeroFanGurl : Sorry! I love cliffhangers! I've made chapters longer just so I could use them. If the chapter wouldn't have been outrageously short, I would have ended this at the line "James jerked awake and let out a piercing scream."**

**warewolf-princess558750 : I hope you like this then!**

**FredNeverDied : I agree with the fair ending. I can assure you now that this will not have a bunch of people come back to life, and the Marauders pranking again. That would absolutely kill the mood I have for this fic. I hope you enjoy this update!**

**Imaginone : I hope you enjoy this then!**

**ouchmylightningscar : Thanks! **

**errew : Remus will be coming soon! It'll either be the next chapter or in two chapters!**

**misteeirene : Thank you!**

**miyu :Yep! James used wandless magic! I've already said this, but I think James could have dueled Voldemort if he had his wand on him in 1981. **

**BelieberTayla : I haven't thought that far ahead yet, but I promise that this fic will get there eventually!**

**Not So Sirius : thank you!**

**acciohome : thank you! This review gave me a lot of things to think about! I tried to develop the characters a bit more in this chapter! Tell me how I did!**

**Mrs. Regulus Arcturus Black : Well, James is out of Malfoy Manor. This will go at least to the final battle, and it'll move pretty slow, so… A lot of new information coming your way when he meets Remus!**

**minea : Thanks!**

**Lady Elizabeth of New York : Thanks! I hope you enjoy this one just as much!**

**HogwartsDreamer113 : Thank you!**

**theRedApe : I'm not sure how this will end yet, but it will be fair. James wanted revenge bad enough to do some pretty strong magic there!**

**Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed! It shouldn't be too long until the next update. I want to update Reveal Your Secrets first, so…**


	6. Healing

It was nearly a week later that Bill confronted Harry. Hermione had begun to recover. However, she was still shaken slightly. James had been getting better, but still he slept on. Bill told him,

"James is awake." Harry felt his eyes widen considerably. Trembling slightly, he stuttered,

"R – really? How –how is he?" Bill looked back at Harry calmly and said,

"We haven't disturbed him yet. Fleur had a charm on him to tell us when he woke." Harry nodded, mouth too dry to speak. His father – His FATHER! – was awake. Harry couldn't help but hear a small voice in the back of his head whisper to him that James had not accepted him as a son. He ignored it, though it still took effort. James had to get better, right? Harry couldn't get his father back after so long only to lose him! Besides, James was safe now. Lupin was still alive, and now, James had a friend. The Death Eaters couldn't hurt him anymore.

"Do you want to see him?" Bill prompted, sympathy clear in his eyes. Ron had told Bill the full story of what James had said. Bill knew how bad it was, and he knew that Harry was afraid to go to James only to be rejected. Calling on his Gryffindor courage, Harry said,

"Yeah, I…" He didn't try to finish what he had started to say. In truth, he had no idea what he had been about to say. Bill understood though, and Harry felt a flash of gratification to the eldest Weasley brother. Solemnly, Bill took Harry to James room. For a moment, Harry wanted to bring Ron in with him, but he knew that this was one thing he had to do alone. No matter how much another presence would have helped, it would have been wrong for Ron to join in the Potter family moment. Even though, to Harry, Ron was family, as were the rest of the Weasleys. However, James had only met Ron for a short period of time. He had met Bill more than once, but at that point, Bill had been under Hogwarts age. James wouldn't remember him. No, this was one situation that Harry had to deal with on his own. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the door open. James was out of bed. In fact, it seemed as if he had left it as soon as he had awakened. Instead of the warm bed, James was huddled on the floor, rocking slightly. He was mumbling, and Harry strained to hear the words. To his surprise, he heard the name Lily more than once.

"James?" Harry said softly. He wanted to call him dad… badly. However, Harry knew it was a terrible idea. James was most likely scared and in shock. If Harry were to surprise him like that… who knows what he'd do. As much as Harry would have liked to say that James would have reacted with joyous tears as he and his son were reunited, he knew it wasn't true.

"Go away." Harry barely heard James' voice. It was barely a whisper, the smallest bit of breath used to make the firm words. James didn't expect him to listen, and he didn't.

"James… How are you feeling?" Harry blurted the question out before he had a chance to think it over. Of course James wasn't alright. A week couldn't even begin to cure what sixteen years in the Death Eaters' hands had done to him. In fact, Harry was trying to consider himself lucky that he could speak to James at all. What if he had been like Neville's father? Still, he couldn't convince himself to feel blessed with his barely responsive father lying on the floor next to him. James didn't answer his question. However, he did ask his own.

"Where am I?" he whispered. Harry noticed how bare – how dead - the voice was now that it was slightly louder. In Snape's pensieve, he had heard an undertone of laughter in James' voice. It was gone now; along with the arrogance his father had had. It was clear that James was expecting him to lash out, to pull out his wand and… Harry couldn't even think it.

"You're safe, James." For the first time, James fully turned his face to look at Harry. Harry felt his eyes widen with shock. The dirt on James' face had been washed off, leaving him with a large array of scars. To Harry's horror, he could see clear lines running parallel to his face. There was no doubt in his mind that they were claw marks. Had it been Greyback? Suddenly, Harry felt a sharp desire for Greyback to die. Of course, after how he ruined so much of Lupin's life, Harry had always wanted him dead but never so strongly. Harry saw that James' hair had been trimmed down to a length much like that in the pensieve.

"Who are you?" Harry considered an answer. It was clear that James did not believe he was somewhere safe. Harry couldn't say to James that he was his son. James had already proved multiple times that he didn't trust easily. At least not anymore, Harry thought, as the thought of Wormtail came to him. Wormtail. He was dead. James hadn't been expecting that. He'd thought it was a trick until that point. Was that why James was talking to him now? No, Harry realized. He had been hit with a Stinging hex from Hermione. It had changed his appearance enough for James not to recognize his easily. For a second, relief spread through Harry, and he was glad that he hadn't brought Ron in with him. James would have recognized Ron. Finally, Harry answered,

"I'm in the Order of the Phoenix." James laughed bitterly, making Harry jump slightly. He hadn't been expecting that. James said,

"You're a little behind the times, _mate._ The Order of the Phoenix is gone. They're all dead." Harry bit the inside of his mouth slightly. What was he supposed to say to that?

"_No, James-"_ Snarling, James pushed himself to his feet, shaking slightly. A pang went through Harry. James wasn't completely healed yet. Would he ever be completely healed?

"Listen to me, _Death Eater! _I am _not_ such a fool to fall for that! The Order of the Phoenix is _nothing _anymore."

"_I-"_ Harry tried to interrupt, but James continued speaking,

"Where's your wand, _Death Eate_r! I'm defenseless; your master made sure of it! Take your best shot!" James' voice had risen steadily, and his snarl became a yell. Voice hoarse, he stopped suddenly. A flash of sadness flew through him. James just didn't know the truth yet, right? He'd understand later… How could he not? A picture of Neville taking the Bubblegum wrapper from his mum flashed through Harry's mind. James was shaking harshly, his limbs trembling with a violence that proved he was still ill.

"James! We're not Death Eaters! We're friends!" James looked straight at Harry, the trembling calming slightly. For a moment, Harry thought he had calmed him down, but then James sneered,

"There's no such thing as _friends._ Friends only betray you. Anyone that believes differently is just naïve." Harry felt his mouth drop open slightly. He closed it quickly and swallowed. Before… it happened, friends had been everything according to James. He remembered his third year, when he told Lupin and S – his godfather to not kill Wormtail. He'd said it because he thought James wouldn't want his two best friends to become murderers for him. Had that been true? He now wished they had killed Wormtail when he had the chance. _It would have solved so much…_

"It's okay, James. It's over." The words sounded weak to Harry even as he said them. He was lying; Voldemort was still out there. The Horcruxes were still out there… He still had a long way to go until it was over. How long would it last? Years? He had no idea where the other Horcruxes were hidden. James didn't respond to his weak condolence. Instead, he just stood there, breathing heavily.

"Where's Dobby?" James asked suddenly. Harry felt his stomach drop slightly. Dobby… How the hell was he supposed to answer that? He couldn't tell James that Dobby was… Eventually, Harry managed to say,

"_He's free."_ His voice was a bit hoarser than usual, but he held it together well. That was a relief. James narrowed his eyes slightly. It seemed that James didn't appreciate the euphemism.

"So he's dead." It wasn't a question; it was a statement. Harry felt a tear burn in the corner of his eye, but he didn't allow it to fall. Finally, James snarled,

"Your friends probably killed him, _Death Eater!"_ Harry felt a deep pang of guilt fly through him.

"_No – No, James-" _he managed to say softly. James' voice rose once again,

"You killed him! Just like all the others! Lily's death was your fault! Padfoot's death was your fault! Moony! Harry!" On the last word, James' voice cracked terribly. He collapsed to his knees on the hard floor. Harry took a step closer to him, wanting to comfort him but knowing he couldn't. What James said had been true in more ways than one. If he had never been born, then his mother would have never died. Had he not gone to the Department of Mysteries, Sirius wouldn't have died. If he hadn't gotten captured, then Dobby would have never died. It was his fault. All of it. And who knows how many others have died because of him angering Voldemort.

"_I – I…"_ Harry couldn't say anything. He glanced desperately to the door, where Bill was waiting. Bill had obviously seen his pleading expression through the small window in the door. He entered the room quickly. As James heard the door open, he collapsed to the ground, curling his body up for a small bit of protection. He made no move to reach for a wand. Obviously, it had been so long since he held one without pain that he no longer had those instincts. It hurt Harry to see his father cower on the floor. In fact, it reminded him unpleasantly of Wormtail in his third year. Of course, James was no coward. Instead, he had held on through sixteen years of continuous torture. For all of that, he came out quite well. Bill stepped over to James, a look of concern on his face.

"James?" he asked softly. James didn't react. Bill stepped forward slowly and laid a hand on his shoulder. That hadn't been a good idea. James immediately tensed as Bill's hand touched against him. then, rolling over quickly and jerkily, James was on his feet once again.

"Don't touch me!" he growled. Bill looked thoughtful for a moment, no doubt pondering what he should say to James.

"James, I'm Bill Weasley. I'm part of the Order of the Phoenix." Harry winced slightly. Bill had obviously not listened in on their conversation. James' eyes were cold and hard.

"Drop the game, _Death Eaters_," he sneered. "Run out of ideas, have you? Is this another supposed _rescue_? I've been through _five_ already!" Bill opened his mouth, slightly flustered. James didn't give him time to respond,

"Let me guess, this one was the least thought-out, clearly not scripted, and you've obviously given me painkilling potions. Hmm… I'd say this one was thought up by Crabbe or Goyle." Bill stepped forward and said,

"James, please listen to me. I am a member of the Order of the Phoenix. We met a couple of times. My mother is Molly Prewett. You worked with her brothers, Fabian and Gideon Prewett.

"_You… I remember you…"_ James said softly. "Fabian and Gideon were great. I remember you at their funeral…" Bill nodded slowly.

"I was there. James, the Death Eaters lied to you. Believe us. We're on your side." James looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding slightly. Bill raised his left sleeve slightly, showing freckled, bare skin. James looked shocked. His eyes slowly glanced at Harry, lingering for a moment as Harry mirrored Bill's action to show he was not a Death Eater. James opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, the door was thrown open. James collapsed to the ground again, protecting himself the best he could. Lupin came in, his wand out.

"Remus?" Bill said, shocked.

"Professor Lupin?" Harry echoed. Lupin glanced at both of them. He began to lower his wand when he caught sight of James.

"James," he said hoarsely.

"_R-remus…"_ James said softly, unconsciously raising himself to his feet. Lupin couldn't do much more then gape. Then he snapped into action.

"Who are you!" Lupin demanded, advancing on James. "James Potter is dead!" Lupin's wand was leveled at his throat. James took a step back, beginning to tremble slightly as he was held at wand point once again.

"_No-"_ Bill said, trying to interrupt. Lupin whirled around, pointing his wand at Bill and Harry, too.

"Are you imposters?" he demanded, "Death Eaters!" At the word Death Eater, James stiffened visibly. He spoke softly,

"_It was a trick, wasn't it?"_ His eyes seemed darker all of a sudden, much more like they had been in the cellar. James looked straight at Bill, then Remus, and finally settled his eyes on Harry. In a horrible pleading voice James said,

"Just take me back already. Don't trick me anymore."

**Okay, so I got this up pretty quick. I'm actually pretty proud of it. For anyone who's also reading "Reveal Your Secrets," I know I promised to update that first, but it just wasn't flowing. It should be up soon, though. Maybe even tomorrow at the earliest. **

**The points system is still on, and I can't wait to see all the reviews for this. Is hoping to get to 180 too ambitious?**

**I'm really happy with this chapter. I feel like I really go much more in-depth with Harry as a character, too. And it's over 2000 words! **

**Up next: The long awaited talk with Remus has finally come! Also, we learn a truth about James that horrifies Remus! What could it be!**

**Thanks to all my reviewers! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter! J.K. Rowling has not given it to me as a birthday present. (I can't believe she missed all my letters… and emails…)**

**Anele1996 : I'm going to go into the mark more in future chapters, and James did recognize Remus. Yeah, I admit. The fight scene was terrible. I was not in a good writing mood when I wrote that, and it came out very forced. **

**SuperHeroFanGurl : Agreed there.**

**[report review for abuse] Lady Elizabeth of New York (chapter one): Thanks. So far that chapter and this one are my favorite. Sorry for separating James and Lily, but I think one person tortured for sixteen years was enough.**

**Lady Elizabeth of New York : I try to mix up my dialogue. Personally, I think it gets boring if all of it is in "" whoever said. I tried to use more of a mix this time. By the way: Did you like my thorough review? I really can't wait for you to update that story! **

**miyu: I know… Sorry about taking so long… It took me an hour and a half to perfect that hero part. However, I did do it during school… (and my mum wonders why my math participation grade is down…) **

**MaraudersAtHeart : Well, his reaction definitely wasn't positive, but he still has a chance at getting better. Bill usually has that calming effect on characters, if you haven't noticed. The only time they've ever really freaked out when he was there was in Half-Blood Prince when he was injured… I thought the tattoo was a good idea. I wanted to make sure that no one would think that James was going to hop up and go straight into dueling Death Eaters. **

**horselovr171 : James definitely could get better. I am pretty sure that Remus and Tonks will still die, though…**

**amare magicae : I strive to be original. Sorry for killing Dobby off, but it had to happen. I wanted James to be able to accuse Harry of something. Plus there's the whole mystery on how James knew Dobby well…**

**Ulimo: I tried to describe the mark as vividely as possible, just to get that response. Remus definitely did something drastic, and it will have lasting effects… The one fic that has had me like Wormtail is called "His Two Paths." It's very good. You should read it sometime. I've never read one that has had more realistic torture scenes in it.**

**raspberry dreams : I've already said it, but that battle scene was terrible. I'll revise it eventually. I agree about Harry, too. The problem was, I couldn't think of anything he'd say, and James was already unconscious…**

**Mrs. Regulus Arcturus Black : I actually made that from a different hero tribute I've written to Regulus Black. It's for a fic I haven't posted yet. I'm upset that Dobby died, too, but it definitely added to the tension in this chapter.**

**Nimbus Llewelyn : I'm still up in the air about James getting better or not… **

**k : Did I screw up with your username? Or is that it? Remus definitely had a strong reaction to James.**

**mynameisfathead : Thanks! I'm trying my best!**

**babybutterflyjam : I like Bill. He's my favorite Weasley by far. This chapter's a bit longer… And there was definitely some more interaction between James and Harry.**

**BelieberTayla : Thanks for the comment on creativity. As I've already said, the fight scene will be improved at a later date.**

**georgeweasleyluver4eva : Thanks!**

**LunaScamander17: James won't be fighting anytime soon with the tattoo on his arm. **

**Tessia : Remus arrived, but I don't think ti was what anyone was expecting.**

**HogwartsDreamer113: Dobby was an important death. It added a lot to the mood in that chapter. Also, there's the whole relationship between James and Dobby that had yet to be explained…**

**Smithback : I'm glad you think so!**

**theRedApe : Thanks! I never thought about the parseltongue, either. No, wandless magic can not be used every day. The only reason James could do it was because he had sixteen years of pent up emotions on his side. Yeah… the fight scene was terrible, I know. I completely forgot about greyback until he's flung backwards…**

**fan-de-carlisle-cullen : I thought this was up pretty fast, too!**

**FredNeverDied : Yeah… I know. I must say that chapter five was not my favorite. Personally, I wouldn't have used it, but I really wanted to update, and it was better than nothing… I assure you that no one will come back to life. I think Remus' reaction was definitely surprising…**

**misteeirene : Here's a lot more interaction!**

**minea : Thanks! I hope you enjoy this!**

**MissSadieKane : Thanks, I like Bill as a character, and I'm glad I was able to write him. According to a 'Which Weasley are you?' quiz, I'm most like Bill. What James does is more a mix of wandless magic and accidental magic. You have to imagine what he's thinking. After sixteen years of pent up emotions, he finally has a chance to take it out on someone who has tortured him multiple times. Both Lupin and James freaked out a bit when they saw each other. there will be a one on one conversation with Remus and James next chapter.**

**singingcaro : You're welcome! I hope you like this.**

**ErinNovelist : Thanks. I strive to be original. I tried to use a bit more imagery in this chapter because it really could use some more. **

**Once again, thanks to all my readers and reviewers!**


	7. Conversations

Remus stared at the man with disbelief. James Potter? Alive? No. Just… _no_. This man… he couldn't be James. This man looked so haunted, so_… broken._ There was no hint of a smile on his face. James couldn't look like that! He wouldn't look like that! _But…_ Shell Cottage was protected by the Fidelius charm. Ron Weasley was its secret keeper_. If Ron Weasley had told the Death Eaters the secret…_ He wouldn't do that without a good bit of torture. And if the Death Eaters had Ron Weasley, then they also had Harry Potter. Harry was standing not three meters away. Remus spun around to face Bill, wand still in hand. Bill looked vexed over the man's broken words. Still, though, he said calmly,

"Why don't we talk about this downstairs, Remus? James, I'm sure you could use a bit of rest." Still numb over hearing Bill call this man the name of his old friend. Remus let his eyes fall on J – _the man's _– characteristically messy hair. It was grey. Why would his hair be grey? The only reason Remus' hair was grey was because of his 'furry little problem.' James was only thirty-eight. _No_, James would have been thirty-eight; he'd died at twenty-one. There was no way that this man could be James Potter, _right?_ Tearing his eyes off the man, Remus followed Bill and Harry out the bedroom door. He noted that the man had not responded to Bill's soothing voice, making him wonder where the man had come from. What had he said last? To return him? To stop tricking him? What was he talking about? Was he a Death Eater that was stupid enough to impersonate James and had been captured because of it? As soon as the door closed behind Remus, he opened his mouth to question Bill.

"_Who was that? Why is he here?"_ Remus noticed Bill tensing slightly and realized the level-headed Weasley was angry and choleric. Harry was staring at the ground.

"_Damnit, Remus!_ He was listening to us! And you should recognize him." Bill spoke softly, controlling his Weasley temper with a practiced ease. Remus felt his eyes widen. Was Bill saying…? No, no! He couldn't be.

"Are you trying to say that that man was James Potter?" Remus said weakly. He didn't want to say it, but he had to know. Bill nodded sharply. Remus immediately felt his jaw drop open to gawk at Bill.

"_But… how?"_ This couldn't be happening. James was dead. He had been for sixteen years. Nothing could change that. This was a dream! It couldn't be real!

"He was taken by Death Eaters away to Malfoy Manor against his will. It seems he's been there ever sense." Remus' eyes widened. Malfoy Manor… Death Eaters… Captured… No wonder J-James had seemed so tormented.

"_He – he… How is he?"_ Harry spoke up for the first time,

"Distant. He doesn't want to believe we aren't another Death Eater trick. He was starting to believe us when you came." Remus felt a cold chill run down his back.

"What should we do?" Remus asked. "Can I talk to him?" Bill looked wary,

"I'm not sure if that's a good idea, Remus. James has spent years believing that you were dead. He didn't recognize Harry; that's why Harry was talking to him. Obviously, he recognized you. I'm not sure if it'll be good to play on his memories." Remus bit his lip. He could see what Bill was saying, but… He had to talk to his old friend. His last old friend. Could he really give his news without talking to James?

"If I went up and apologized, then it might help," Remus pleaded. Bill still looked worried. Harry seemed borderline on what he thought. It was strange, Remus thought; usually a father was protective of his kid. Harry was protective over his father. After a moment of contemplation, Bill nodded. Remus, taking a deep breath to consol himself, began to walk towards James' room.

He neared the room and slowly pushed the door open. The curtains were drawn and the light was off in James' room. As he opened the door only a crack, he heard voices, or actually, he heard a voice. It was James. He was sitting on the floor, his head in his hands. Remus could hear him talking to himself.

"It's full moon tomorrow, Lily. I can tell. I can recognize the feeling by now. Moony… I never understood what you went through every month…" Remus opened his mouth to say something, but James continued to ramble on. It was clear that James hadn't been talking to him. Remus felt a cold shiver run through his body. He – he couldn't be a… No, of course not.

"Padfoot, you never understood either. _Fun… Games!_ Ha! It was so much better when I was Prongs. The Death Eaters tore that away from me, too. _Lily…_ I bet you understood. You understood everything. Voldemort ruined everything… I can't believe that I ever thought that friendship would make it through this war. It took me too long to realize that nothing would stand in the face of torture and death. They want me to believe another one of their tricks_. Moony, Lily…_ What can I do! They want me to tell them! I – I think there's another prisoner in here. It's Bill Weasley. Do you remember him, Padfoot? He's Fabian and Gideon's nephew. I don't want to kill him. Will they let me? Or is this just another way to humiliate me; they know I like to forget it ever happened… _I'm so sorry, Moony!_ I deserve this for how I looked forward to full moon before! Now, I fear them, just like you did, Moony." Remus felt frozen to the floor. James was a werewolf. A werewolf. He obviously didn't know about the Wolfsbane, so he was forced to become a monster each full moon. James was no longer Prongs… How? Why? The Death Eaters had gone out of their way to completely annihilate James' spirit. Remus was shaking slightly as he went to announce his presence. James began talking before he could.

"It was Greyback, you know, Moony. I thought he'd kill me for sure. I was so naïve at that point. _What was it? _Maybe six years into it? Like the Death Eaters would give up their favorite chew toy that easily. Narcissa had to drag him off of me. I knew that I had been bitten, but… The shock and denial hadn't faded until I transformed for the first time… _in the cellar_…" James faded away. He was heaving for breath, hyperventilating as he faced the memories. Remus felt sick. What had happened to the bright, arrogant James Potter he had known? He was gone. _Disappeared._ The permanent grin on James' face didn't seem to exist anymore. Unable to help it, Remus let out a choked cry. James spun around, standing quickly at the sound. Remus felt hot tears streaming down his face as he realized there were long scars running down James face. It was clear what they were from.

"_What are you doing here?"_ James said, his voice meek after his long monologue. Remus opened his mouth to say something but quickly realized he had no idea what to say. Finally, he said,

"I – I wanted to apologize, James," Remus said. James met his eyes slowly.

"_Why – you aren't him!"_ James demanded weakly. It was clear that it was an act. James was broken. All of his disconnected anger and hate was a desperate attempt to hide that. Remus had come when James' shell was cracked.

"I am, James. I've believed you to be dead for so long…" Even to himself, Remus' voice sounded slightly suffocated. It hurt to call him James. Though, to Remus, it seemed that the James Potter he'd known was gone. It was much easier to think of this as another person altogether. Or an echo. But he was not the same James as before.

"_You – you did…"_ James said with a hoarse voice. Remus took a step closer to James, and James immediately flinched back. Remus felt his heart clench. At one point, James was so trusting. Now… now… What was he? Gone.

"James, everyone thought you were dead. What happened to you that night?" James, though he was still nervous and wary, seemed slightly more open and said,

"V – Voldemort came. He – I didn't have my wand… He made me take the Draught of Living Death… I was awake during my funeral… I heard Lily _… I heard…"_ Remus saw James' blank expression shift as it began to crumple. The Draught of Living Death. It sent its drinker into a paralyzed-like state. They appeared dead. Unless given the antidote, they would eventually die.

"James… I'm so sorry… If I had realized…" James laughed bitterly, not smiling, not joking around.

"How could you of? Sirius was already in Azkaban at that point. Harry was dead…" Remus bit his lip as he said,

"Harry's not dead, James." James' eyes flashed to stare into Remus'.

"What do you mean?" he demanded. Remus thought his words over for a second before saying,

"Lily gave her life for him, James. That explosion… It was Voldemort's curse rebounding."

"_N - no…"_ James said. It was clear that he didn't believe Remus, and Remus didn't push it. There would be time for that later.

"We really did rescue you, James." James stared at Remus for a moment before saying,

"I'm sorry, R-" he stopped suddenly, as if guarded about saying Remus' name. "But… I'm not sure if I believe that just yet." Remus said softly,

"James, this isn't a trick. I promise." James' eyes fell to the ground, and he mumbled quietly,

"Promises can only be broken." Remus felt disappointment as James seemed to fade back behind his shell once again.

"_No… No, James! It's okay… I'm a friend…"_ He spoke desperately, trying to pull James out from behind his walls once again. James just looked at the floor. Without raising his eyes, he said,

"I've said it before. The only thing friends can do is betray you." Remus needed to deny that. It was wrong… James had to know that… To James, friendship was everything. That's exactly it, a snide, little voice in Remus' head whispered. That was important to James. Not is. James had changed.

"That's wrong, James!" Remus said desperately, ignoring the signs of James drifting back into himself. James looked up, his eyes cold, hard.

"Do you really believe that?"

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**Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed this! It's a bit short for me but… Sorry. I couldn't think of a better place to end it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I'm just delusional to think I could create a story that could ever even look honourable compared to its awesomeness.**

**Please read and review! I'm hoping to reach 200 reviews! The more I get the quicker I update!**

**Coming up: Harry, Bill, and Remus discuss James, Teddy, and Priori Incantantem. Also, it's the beginning of another full moon! What will James do without Wolfsbane?**

**I have a new poll! Please vote! It's on if you guys think I should keep answering reviews at the bottom of my chapters! So far I have had no answers on it. **

**misteeirene : I'm glad you think I'm portraying him accurately. He's a bit more open in this chapter, but he's definitely not completely trusting them! Notice how he never said anything that Voldemort wouldn't know already!**

**SuperHeroFanGurl : Can't do that. I love cliffhangers!**

**plume-en-sucre : Thanks! I'm glad you think so! I hate cliché stories, so I took a cliché plot-line and tried to change it up a bit.**

**fan-de-carlisle-cullen : Remus was just shocked. He's a lot better in this chapter. Though, you have to tell me if he still accepts it too easily. I try to make it clear that Remus hasn't accepted that James is the same as his old friend. In his mind, he's keeping them as different as possible.**

**Nimbus Llewelyn : Thanks, I'm glad!**

**errew : Well, I hope you like it.**

**LunaScamander17: Teddy will be coming up in the next chapter. Remus just has a lot to think about at the moment.**

**theRedApe : James was told the truth, but he's still suspicious. I don't know about the flashback… If I feel adventurous, then I could do a chapter in James' POV… About the Patronus, James freaked out when Remus brought out his wand. To draw another would not have been a good idea.**

**miyu : I was surprised about how quick I updated last time, too… Remus is just being cautious. The Fidilius charm is not unbreakable, as Remus knows very well. This chapter, I have to say, was also thought out in math class and health. In health I almost received a detention because my teacher told me to 'stop writing or I have to read it aloud.' I promptly answered 'Sure. Poetry or Prose' Yeah… not my smartest idea.**

**singingcaro : I hope you enjoy this, then!**

**FairyVampire : James was a bit more open in this chapter… He's still a far way off from trusting them, though.**

**Ulimo : I actually cried while writing this chapter, especially James' monologue. Though, I can't be sure if that's just because I still have a migraine, and it still is incredibly painful for me to look at the screen. I'm actually staring at the keyboard and glancing up quickly to look for typos. As for "His Two Paths," at first you'll hate Peter, as per usual, but then he ends up saving the life of a very important character.**

**k: James wanted the familiarity of being back in the cellar. He knows that he's trapped, and he knows he can't trust anyone there. They've got him confused. With the way I write, I have all my chapters in James' POV also. Just so I know what he's thinking in it. (That's why it takes me a long time to update, really… I write each chapter at least twice…)**

**ErinNovelist : James was a werewolf. Congrats on being right. I hope you like this chapter.**

**Artera Lysander : Yup. James is a werewolf. Hope you enjoy this!**

**horselovr171: Sorry. Angst for a reason. I plan on having a relationship between Teddy and James. To do that… **

**MissSadieKane : I've always found that Harry is trusting with anyone he takes out of a bad situation. Ex. he trusted everyone else in the cellar to be brought to Shell Cottage. He trusted Griphook. He trusted Snape when he knew memories could be altered. See what I mean? Blame it on his hero complex. I agree with the details, but I think I'll wait until this fic is finished before revising. **

**Blueberry : Thanks! I agree with the misunderstandings being awkward, but… James needs to have them.**

**lightnings pride: I'm glad you think so.**

**BelieberTayla : Thanks. I agree with his strength and bravery. I tried describing things with Remus, but it was much harder for me to write him.**

**Fallen-Petals15 : I'm glad you like it, and I made a poll to see what my other readers think about me responding to reviews at the bottom. What did you mean by, "its not allowed to be classed as a list?"**

**minea : I compared to James to Neville's parents to show the very real possibility of him not improving. James' condition definitely horrified Remus.**

**BellaDeS: I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

**Mrs. Regulus Arcturus Black : I cried while writing this one. I like the symbolism of a broken lion… I might use that… At least in one of my James POV drafts. (I do each chapter as a draft in James POV to understand what he's thinking.) I agree with the remark on the Black family, too. The hero tribute should be up soon.**

**Not So Sirius : I hope this satisfies your very clear addition with this fic. Just wondering, should you get that checked out? **

**kittyhawk09 : I've been trying to perfect the type of tension that a writer can cause when they do a format like 'Tense. Relieved. Tense.' If you know what I mean. If you want a stunning example of this, it's in at the end of the last chapter in "Foreshadowing Demise" by Shadowmistress13. **

**RedEYES-Fallen : Sorry, this wasn't up mearly as fast as the last one…**

**HogwartsDreamer113 : Haha. Try to find something next time. Maybe… I don't like your obsessive use of the way James looks at the ground because I know that bothers me… I seem to put it anywhere that needs to be more awkward and tense…**

**Golden snitch : Thank you. I pride myself on originality and creativity.**

**potterlocked1867 : thanks. The hero part took me a long time. I actually made it for an AU story on Regulus Black that hasn't been posted yet. However, I think I might make it stand alone as a tribute to Regulus…**

**Wow. This chapter was very good. I especially liked the part about a heros death. It was well written and it doesn't just apply to this. One thing, when bill was explaining the curse on James' arm, it sounded wooden or forced kind of. Your dialogue isn't usually like that, but to me that part was kinda. Looking forward to the next part!**

**Anele1996 : I'd react like that too if I saw someone I knew to be dead alive.**

**Tessia : I doubt McGonagall could leave the school with a bunch of Death Eaters there. However, Remus transforming should help a bit.**

**I hope everyone enjoyed this, and I'm sorry it was so short!**


	8. News

Harry was up in his room. Everything felt like it just had crashed down on him. _Oh, Merlin. _They had been captured. Hermione had been tortured! Then there was James. _James_… He couldn't think of him as dad. That was not his father. His father was the person that had appeared to save him in his fourth year. _Priori_ _Incantantem_. What did that mean? James… was he truly who he said he was? Harry couldn't see how he was not. Surely, no death eater would try _so _hard to trick them. Certainly a death eater would have dropped the façade when they were captured. James had helped them escape. How could that possibly have been a trick? Harry could remember seeing James collapse after Bellatrix was flung backwards. He could see the desperate, hopeless look in James eyes. That was before James had completely believed them. Hell, he still didn't completely believe them. Prori Incantantem must have been wrong or faked somehow. He'd have to ask Bill and Lupin. Lupin… why had he come here? Surely there was a reason for him to leave wherever he was hiding. He wouldn't just pop in for a visit, right? Not now, anyway. Harry knew he should go down and see why Lupin had come. However, he wanted to have his emotions under check before he did.

That man had to be who he said he was. No death eater would try that hard to get their trust; no death eater would be smart enough to deceive them like this. Harry sat on his bed, putting his face in his hands. Why couldn't his father have just stayed dead? Merlin, it sounded so disrespectful when said like that, and Harry felt horrible for even thinking it. James wasn't like he was before, and Harry didn't want to think of James – broken, haunted, and dare he think it, insane - as his dad – strong, kind, brave, and sure, he was arrogant, but Snape deserved everything he got.

Snape. He probably knew about James for years. He had probably loved torturing James with the rest of the death eaters. How could Dumbledore have not realized that Snape was not on his side? Harry could still remember when Dumbledore had pleaded with Snape. Yet, Snape killed him anyway.

Harry felt a terrible anger fly through him. Why? Why did everything happen to him? He should have been ecstatic that his father was alive, but he wasn't. No, he didn't like James. He didn't want to be near him. It crushed all of the childish fantasies. James had always appeared laughing in his daydreams and in the few memories he had seen. He was cold, distant. Harry hadn't seen the man look as if he was even contemplating a laugh. He'd only given them a bitter smile. With a heavy sigh, Harry clenched his eyes shut.

What had they done to break him? He was nothing. Nothing anymore. James was torn down from wherever he had been, and now, Harry couldn't imagine him getting better. The look in his eyes… It was terrible. When James looked at him, a swirl of brokenness, fear, pain, agony… It was all there. Trapped there. Merlin, what had they done? There were scars all over his face and arms. The worst being long claw marks down the side of his face.

Had Pettigrew known in their third year?

_"Harry, James wouldn't have wanted me killed... James would have understood, Harry... He would have shown me mercy... " _ His father would have understood, maybe, but James… James would have killed Pettigrew himself. He had said so, down in the cellar.

"_If anyone should die, then it should be you." _That's what he told Wormtail. Then Wormtail was dead, and James had still meant it.

James' mind had been ripped apart. Harry couldn't even hope to see it reseal, but perhaps… perhaps, there could be a bridge between them. It would be long, but Harry refused to give up. James needed him. In the meantime, they were fighting a war. He had enough to worry about without James adding to it. After the Horcruxes were gone, that was when he would worry about helping James.

Harry took a few calming breaths before entering Ron's room. It was empty. He was probably with Hermione. Harry walked down the hallway and knocked on her door. There was a faint,

"Come in." Harry entered and saw both Hermione and Ron sitting on her bed.

"Bill and Lupin are down in the kitchen; we wanted to talk about James." Hermione was immediately on her feet; though, she winced slightly. Ron followed a bit more slowly.

"How are you, Hermione?" Harry asked. She looked slightly annoyed at the question.

"I'm _fine, _Harry!" He glanced at Ron who was smiling knowingly. Apparently, he'd already asked Hermione that more than once.

"Did Ron fill you in?" he asked. Hermione had obviously known who James was, but he didn't know if she knew the entire story. Hermione nodded firmly.

Taking a deep breath, Harry walked down the stairs with Ron and Hermione to meet Bill and Lupin in the kitchen. When he entered, Bill had a hand on Lupin's shoulder. Lupin was crying, tears streaming from his eyes. He was rambling on as he did, and Bill let him.

"I – I never would have wanted any – anyone else to feel what I do. And – and James! He's felt it for years! What should we do, Bill?" Neither seemed to notice Harry, Ron, and Hermione's presence. Harry cleared his throat quietly and said,

"Bill? Professor?" They both snapped around to look at him. Harry wanted to ask if they were alright, but he knew that was a stupid, inconsiderate question. Really, it was something Ron would say. Harry looked at Lupin and begged,

"What happened?" He was reminded harshly of why Lupin might have come. "Is someone…?" Bill shook his head. Harry noted that Lupin was trembling. He couldn't tell what it was from. Pain, fear, sadness, anger… they all seemed melded together. Wordlessly, Lupin shook his head. After a moment, Bill spoke,

"Remus went up to talk to James. He – he told Remus that he was a werewolf." Remus' shoulders shook as he heard it spoken aloud. Bill looked shaken, too, and Harry was reminded that Greyback had attacked Bill not too long ago. Merlin, could that really have been less than a year ago? It was crazy. Harry was feeling a cold numbness with James. Surely, it couldn't get any worse with him. Anyone who had suffered more than what James had… It couldn't be possible. Lupin closed his eyes for a moment, or two, or three, and when he opened them, he looked decisively calmer.

"We need to talk about this." Bill and Harry nodded quickly; they didn't know how Remus had pulled himself together so fast, but they were willing to go along with it.

"James is…" Lupin started, only to fade away as he couldn't find the right thing to say.

"Broken," Bill concluded. Lupin nodded. Harry asked,

"What about that mark on his arm? Did you check that out?" Bill nodded.

"It's what I thought. An inhibitio magicae. The mark restricts his magic running to his wand hand. V – You-Know-Who must have thought he was weaker than he really was and assumed he wouldn't be able to perform magic with his opposite arm." Hermione gasped.

"Ron! You didn't tell me that! You just said he had a mark on his arm that was really weird!" Bill snorted, while Ron smiled sheepishly.

"He always underestimates his opponents. When we was in Malfoy Manor –" Lupin's mouth opened in shock, and he said,

"You – you were in Malfoy Manor?" Harry nodded.

"We were captured. There's a taboo on Vol – You-Know-Who's name. Snatchers came, and they recognized us." Lupin looked intensely worried. Ron said dismissingly,

"Don't worry; we got out quick enough." Lupin's mouth dropped open at the uncaring way Ron was saying that. Personally, Harry believed that Ron was trying to soften the blow. Lupin and Bill would not like to hear that Hermione had been tortured and that they had barely gotten out in time. It was already a terrifyingly close cut to them; even without them knowing the details. Hermione, obviously, didn't feel the same, for she smacked him in the shoulder, hissing,

"_Ron! Empathy!" _Ron looked slightly offended at that, but when he opened his mouth to speak, he closed it again, not wanting to start an argument.

"So…" Harry began, almost expecting to be interrupted again. "Ron and I were in the cellar and Hermione… We saw James down there; Wormtail was… hurting him… Called him Prongs…" Harry was finding it difficult to speak, even though he knew that he had to tell Lupin everything. Lupin deserved to know what one of his best friends had gone through.

Anger was flying through him at Wormtail's entire betrayal. He's always pictured Wormtail as a spineless fool that got caught up with the Death Eaters for protection and that was that. Wormtail had proven that he was much worse than all of that. At one point, he'd pitied Wormtail. Now… he couldn't find an ounce of pity for the dead man. Wormtail had had a chance to slightly redeem himself. He could have helped James or at least gave the Order a bloody clue about where he was! It wouldn't have erased the horrible crimes he'd committed, but all the same, you'd expect Wormtail would have at least felt a slight bit of compassion to his old friends.

Or had they ever been friends at all?

It was his fault. Everything. Harry had been the one to allow Wormtail to escape in his third year. Could he have stopped Wormtail from torturing James? Had James already been… broken when Wormtail entered the picture? Harry Potter. The-Boy-Who-Got-Everyone-He-Cared-About-Hurt. He played with fire, and whoever came with him was swallowed in the blaze. Hell, Hermione had been tortured because of him. She could have been safe; if she hadn't come. It was his fault.

Harry glanced at Lupin, whose face was as angry and conflicted as he imagined his own to be.

"James refused to believe us, thought we were death eaters… Wormtail was sent back in, and we tried to get his wand… He almost killed me; he was choking me, but James said something, and he let go." Curiously but still appearing slightly horrified, Lupin asked,

"What did he say? Did he call Wormtail on the life debt he owes you?" Harry shrugged; he truly hadn't heard. The blood that had pounded in his ears was much too loud. Ron shook his head and said,

"I don't know what he said exactly, but Wormtail loosened his hand because he wanted to choke James more, I think." Lupin nodded slowly, face pale. He looked sickly, and Harry was once again reminded that tonight was full moon. Wait! Bill had said… James was a werewolf. Unlike only minutes before, the thought actually sunk in. Harry could remember Lupin after they found out in their third year. Ron's voice.

"_Get away from me, werewolf!" _

James was one. A dark creature, a werewolf. Oh Merlin. The thought were spinning around in Harry's head, rotating like a grotesque Ferris Wheel. Over again and again. James is a werewolf… James is a werewolf… James is a… Harry shook his head roughly, effectively jarring the thoughts from his head… For the time being. They would be back, and Harry knew that silencing them now would just make it worse then. Merlin! It's Sirius all over again! At his callous thought, a burst of pain flew through him. Harry ignored it to the best of his ability and noticed, for the first time, that Ron had continued the conversation and was done recounting their trip to Malfoy Manor. Harry swallowed hard and asked Bill,

"What will we do tonight? With full moon?" Bill thought for a moment, his eyes flashing to Lupin. It was clear that werewolves were not his specialty.

"If we ward one of the rooms strong enough…" Bill asked.

Lupin shook his head.

"A werewolf can tear through normal wards with brute strength," he said quietly. "It would be better to ward an area outside. Something far enough away from the house; so when he breaks through, he won't come here. I'll go too; that way, I can keep him from hurting anyone." Bill nodded.

"So why'd you come here, Professor?" Ron asked. Lupin looked confused for a moment before astonishment shone on his face.

"_Oh… Oh!_ Nymphadora had the baby! It's a boy! His name's Teddy Remus Lupin!" Harry looked at Lupin in shock at the blatant change in his mood. He was smiling widely. Then the news sunk in as Hermione said,

"_Really?_ Congratulations!" Ron and Harry, who were still shocked, echoed her. Bill was grinning with the news.

"Congratulations, Remus!" he exclaimed. Lupin nodded. Then he turned to Harry and asked,

"Harry… I was wondering… Would you be Teddy's godfather?" Harry gaped in surprise before finding his voice.

"M – me? But I don't know anything –" Lupin waved away his protests.

"Neither Nymphadora or I could think of a better person." Astonished, Harry nodded slowly. Lupin glanced out the window and slowly, his smile began to fade.

"We have a few hours before sunset. Let's go and do the wards now." Bill and Lupin bid the three kids? – No, not kids. Without this war, Harry, Hermione, and Ron would still be kids, but they had had to grow up too fast – goodbye and left.

After they had gone, Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat in silence. Eventually, Ron spoke,

"What are we going to do, now? We need to find the next Horcrux." Hermione bit her lip and said,

"I've been thinking about that. Remember how terrified Bellatrix was when she thought we had gotten into her vault?" Harry and Ron nodded, unsure as to where she was going.

"She kept demanding how I got in, and what else I took. What if – what if V – You-Know-Who – trusted her with a horcrux, and she put it in her vault?" Both boys gaped at her. Finally, Harry said,

"Hermione… I think you're right!" Hermione nodded, looking pleased. Then the delight in her eyes shuttered and faded away.

"But… how can we get it?" Harry and Ron glanced at each other.

"Bill worked with Gringotts for a while, right?" Harry asked Ron. Ron nodded, but he still looked doubtful. Hermione looked at them; then a thought seemed to occur to her,

"Ron! Didn't you say that you rescued a goblin from Malfoy Manor!"

"Yeah… Why?" Ron asked, confusion marring his face.

"Of course!" Harry exclaimed. "We can ask him to help us!"

Hermione nodded, saying,

"That's what I thought, but he hasn't woken up yet."

"So there's nothing we can do right now," Harry said. "I think I'm going to go visit Dobby's grave."

"Do you want me to come, too?" Ron asked. Harry shook his head.

"Nah. I'll be fine." Neither Ron or Hermione had ever been close to Dobby. Sure, he'd been a friend, but to them, he hadn't been much more. Harry could remember him dropping the cake in his second year. He could remember the pure joy in Dobby's eyes as he was freed.

After that, Harry walked out of the house and towards the beach. Dobby's gravesite was beautiful; there was no doubt of it.

Dobby… Harry felt tears stream down his face as he thought of the courageous elf. Had he ever realized just how much of a friend Dobby was to him? No. He'd always taken Dobby for granted; even going so far as to be annoyed in his second year. Of course, in his second year, Dobby had almost killed him. It was strange. Harry could remember how much he wanted to be rid of Dobby that year. Now, he mourned Dobby more than he ever thought he would. The proud, brave elf was no more… And he was missed, sorely missed.

Kneeling, Harry looked at the crude tombstone and didn't realize as minutes turned to hours.

He also didn't notice that the full moon was beginning to rise slowly in the sky.

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**Hi! Sorry it took so long; I'm buried in work right now. It should get better. Today is my second day of Thanksgiving break! Woohoo! **

**I am not happy with this chapter at all, and my dialogue is terrible. I'm sorry there's no James in this chapter! He'll be in the next one, don't worry!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling does. **

**Please read and review! The Points System is still on! Send me a PM or in a review when you reach either 2, 7, or 15 points!**

**Up next: Full moon! What if Harry is bitten? **

**I'm only going to answer a few questions I got instead of personal replies. Starting next chapter, I'll send you a reply via PM.**

_**Why doesn't James recognize Harry because Harry looks like him?**_

**James hasn't seen a mirror in sixteen years, nor has he seen a photograph. It's likely he doesn't remember what he looked like.**

_**Why is he a werewolf?**_

**After Wormtail joined the Death Eaters, he told them the Marauders' secrets (How else ddi Lucius Malfoy know of Sirius' Animagus form?) It's just another way to ridicule him.**

_**Will he take the wolfsbane potion?**_

**In POA, Lupin always had to drink it for a few days before the full moon. It's too late for James to drink it now.**


	9. In the Moonlight

Harry sat still before the tombstone, not noticing the silver moonlight that began to brighten the sky. The light seemed cruel and distant, hinting of things no mortal understood, hinting things that the dead controlled.

Harry first became aware when a howl split across the sand. Jerking in surprise, he spun around on his heels, seeing exactly what he dreaded. _Oh, Merlin, no… _Stumbling back until he felt water lapping at his heels, Harry reached for his wand. Please let it be Lupin… Please say that he only growled because he was annoyed that Harry had been outside. The wolf entered a spot of moonlight, and his fur shone silver. No, it wasn't the moonlight. The wolf's fur was silver. Silver. The color of James' hair. The _exact_ color of James' hair.

It had to be him. Harry took a step back into the water. Pulling out his wand, he pointed it at the beast. It stood, growling, preparing to, well, to kill him. Harry's wand hand shook. He didn't want to hurt James. He didn't want to hurt… his father.

The werewolf took a step forward, drool dripping from its snout. Then, just as it was tensing to leap forward, another brown shape rose from the shadows. It hurled itself onto James, snarling and growling wildly. Harry felt his eyes widen and his heart and head finally seemed to sync together. Immediately, his heart began pounding.

Harry turned from the wolves, knowing he had to get to Shell Cottage. Running parallel to the water, he glanced back as he heard something large pounding behind him. Turning around, he saw it was James.

Reacting instantly, he called out,

"Stupefy!" The spell struck James, and he was thrown backward. It had been strong, but James was still moving, trying to scramble to his paws on the sandy shore. Harry didn't watch any more. Without another thought, Harry whipped around and sprinted for the cottage.

When he arrived there, he saw Bill standing in the kitchen. Apparently, he hadn't noticed that Harry was missing, and when he saw Harry enter, he whirled around in worry.

"Harry! What were you doing out there!"

"I lost track of time," Harry said, tilting his head down and breathing harshly. Bill looked slightly annoyed with his response and answered, saying,

"You lost track of - Harry! This night is dangerous! We have a fully grown werewolf out there! How do you think Remus – or James! – would feel had you been bitten?"

"I know, Bill, and I shouldn't have stayed out there. James was there… He – I – I had to stupefy him."

"And it worked?" Bill asked curiously. Then his face darkened. "You're lucky, Harry Potter. That spell only worked against a werewolf because James isn't fully healed yet."

Harry swallowed roughly as doubt flashed across his mind.

"Bill… I – I had to stupefy him." Apparently, even with being the most level-headed and smartest Weasley brother, Bill didn't understand.

"What d'you mean, Harry?" he asked. He had picked up how upset Harry sounded, and he knew that it certainly had to do with James, but he didn't know what it was.

"I had to hurt James! He's my father," Harry's eyes were wide as his emotions flew through him. As the words registered to Bill, his expression softened.

"Harry… You had to. Do you remember how, back in your third year, Sirius attacked Remus to protect you? Remus didn't hold it against him because he knew it was to keep you safe. In the end, James would rather you be safe."

Harry nodded, but in his heart, he knew he wasn't convinced. Surely, there had been a better option.

He didn't have to stupefy James. There – there had been a better way! He just didn't do it.

Now he regretted it.

James would hate him. Even now, James wasn't convinced that Harry was his son. Hell, he didn't believe with one ounce of his body that Harry was his son.

Now what would he think? Harry had attacked him, hurt him. There was nothing he could say that would justify what he had done.

Sirius was different… He and Lupin had been friends. Besides, Lupin expected no less.

James didn't know Harry.

"Harry?" Bill asked, seeing his expression.

"Nothing." Harry turned and walked to the room he shared with Ron.

He wasn't inside, and Harry was glad about that. Without another thought on where Ron was, he layed down, willing himself to sleep.

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"Hermione? Do you see him?" Ron whispered nervously as he looked around.

"No!" Hermione said in a loud whisper. "He's not at the grave!"

"Where could he be, then?" Ron said, raising his voice.

"I don't know, Ron." Hermione glanced around the forest. "It's not safe. Maybe he went back inside –"

"We would have saw him, Hermione," Ron interrupted loudly.

"Shh!" Hermione reprimanded. "We don't want James and Lupin to hear us." Suddenly, there was a loud howl. Ron's eyes widened as the thud of paw steps registered in their panicking minds.

"I think they already have," Ron whimpered, staring at the trees behind him. Hermione spun around, only to see a werewolf with shockingly light-colored fur coming closer. Its steps were uneven, and it was shaking its head, as if confused.

Another werewolf followed it out.

"Lupin!" Hermione breathed with relief. The werewolf let out a short bark. It was clear what he meant.

Run.

And they listened. Running towards Shell Cottage, it took them a few precious minutes to realize that, in their terror, they had been turned around.

They had been running in the wrong direction.

"Ron!" Hermione yelled in desperation. "It's the other way! We're going the wrong way!"

"I know! I bloody know that!" Ron yelled. For the first time, or what seemed to be, Hermione didn't reprimand him for swearing. Although, Ron might have been comforted if she did. Then, at least, one thing would be normal in this situation.

Actually, when were things ever normal? He was friends with Harry bloody Potter!

The two teens turned quickly and continued running. Shell Cottage was in sight, though still far, when they heard a growl.

Turning, Ron and Hermione saw James race out from underbrush. Lupin followed, but it was clear he was slowing down, and he was limping.

"Run!" Hermione screeched. Ron turned and began to run, making sure that Hermione kept up with him.

Then he was tossed into the air by slavering jaws. Flying freely, he omitted a strangled shout before the ground rose up to meet him. As he landed, there was a sickening thud and a terrible crack.

Ron blinked the haze out of his eyes only to see the huge jaws of a full-grown werewolf above him.

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**I'm so sorry! It has been FOREVER since I've updated.**

**I promise to do better now! I'm back, and I'm not dead! Don't worry!**

**So, tell me what you thought of the chapter. No, Harry will not be bitten.**

**Will Ron? **

**Will Hermione?**

**Will no one?**

**Will a giant chasm open up in the Earth and drag them all into it so they end up in Middle Earth? Haha, just kidding.**

**Thank you to all my reviewers!**

**As a writer, I write both fanfiction and original stories. If you want to see some of my original work in a blog, then search this in google:**

******Rebecca Ralston Writer Webnode  
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**So, that's all folks!**


	10. Escaping the Moon

The jaws above him dripped drool, reminding Ron unpleasantly of Fluffy. Ron was frozen, unable to move, unable to think with fear. Hot breath ran along his face; its putrid smell invaded his nose as he breathed in short gasps. From somewhere beside him, he heard Hermione yell.

"Immobulus!" The werewolf only shrugged off the spell. It didn't even glance in the direction the spell came from; it was too focused on Ron.

The werewolf seemed to smile maliciously. Then it lowered its head, jaws open, ready to tear at Ron. Ron laid there, pupils dilated with terror, hot fear burning under his skin. He couldn't move. His limbs seemed paralyzed.

As the werewolf came closer, the strange paralysis disappeared. He struck out, blindly, trying to stop the werewolf. With a lucky shot, he smacked James on the nose. The werewolf howled and slashed at him with a paw. Its claws raced across his chest, pulling hot, searing pain with them. Ron gasped with a mix of pain and fear. This was it. He was going to die.

The werewolf, now furious, bent down to tear into him.

Ron closed his eyes. This is how it's going to end. He was going to be torn to shreds by his best mate's father. A hysterical laugh bubbled up inside of him, but his dry throat would allow nothing to pass through. Hermione was standing helplessly beside of him, fear holding her in place. Suddenly, the heat from the werewolf's breath disappeared, and seconds later, there was a loud thump. Ron tore open his eyes to see another werewolf. At first, his face paled with the implication of _another _werewolf bent on killing all of them.

Then he realized it was Lupin, and Lupin had used Wolfsbane.

Trying to scramble away, he found that his left leg refused to support him. There was no pain as adrenaline pumped through him. Crawling rather than walking, Ron moved to Hermione as fast as he could.

"We – we have to," Hermione gasped, still fearful.

"Come on," Ron hissed, and he pulled himself to his feet. Moving as quickly as possible, they made it into Shell Cottage. Hermione was supporting Ron as they awkwardly hopped

As soon as Ron passed through the door, pain exploded through his leg. Hermione – who had still been supporting Ron – staggered under his weight. Together, they both crashed to the floor with a loud bang.

"Ah!" Hermione gasped.

"What is zat? 'Oo is zair?" Fleur ran out into the hallway, wand out before her. She had apparently believed that someone – or something – had gotten inside.

"Ron? Hermione?" Fleur said, seeing them in a pile on the floor. Hermione groaned once more and stood.

"What 'appened?" Fleur asked, bewildered. Hermione thought for a moment, and then her eyes widened as something occurred to her.

"Harry! He – he never came inside! Ron and I went out to look for him, but we couldn't find him!" Fleur looked panicked for a moment, but then it changed to confusion.

"No," she said. "'Arry is upstairs. Bill is with 'im."

"But – but," Hermione said. "We never saw him come in." Fleur scowled with annoyance.

"If you 'adn't left, then you would 'ave. 'Arry came in not ten minutes ago." Ron was trying to struggle to his feet. Hermione and Fleur finally glanced down at him, and at the same time, both rushed over to help him. There was a red stain seeping into his shirt from three long scratches.

"Ai!" Fleur gasped. "You were not bitten, were you?" Ron shook his head, appearing faint. His eyes focused on something behind both girls as they moved him to the couch. Hermione saw him shake his head a few times; he was trying to clear it. Fleur was lifting his shirt to the see the wound.

Immediately upon seeing it, she burst into action.

"'Ermione," she ordered, calm and in the composed, serene trance of a healer. "Go get Bill. 'E will know what to do." Hermione nodded and ran up the stairs, two at a time. Her heart was beating furiously, and a stitch was growing in her side, but she did not notice because her thoughts were consumed by Ron. The cuts were bad from the werewolf's claws.

She shook her head, even as she raced up the stairs (Merlin, was she running in slow motion? It seemed to be taking forever.) Finally, she burst into Harry's room. Bill and Harry both turned to her, mouths open with shock. Hermione had a faint idea of what she might look like. She was wheezing, her hair was strewn ever which way, and her clothes were streaked with some of Ron's blood.

"Werewolf… Ron… Hurt," she managed to gasp out. For a moment longer, Bill and Harry just stood there. The time ran faster than ever as the two processed Hermione's few, gasped words. Then, together, they both raced forward, running through the doorway, barely avoiding Hermione, and racing down the stairs. Less than a second later, Hermione was running after them.

Arriving back to the room where Ron was laying, Hermione saw that Bill already had his wand out and was whispering spells. Relief flooded her, so strong that she felt her knees go weak. Finally, she staggered to a chair and collapsed into it.

Her breath began to slowly calm down as she took in deep gulps of air that burnt her dry throat. Hermione couldn't see Ron from where she was sitting; Bill was in the way. As soon as her breath was slightly calmer, she went to get up. Unfortunately, this caused a wave of nausea to sweep over her. Hermione sat back down, not content to watch from far away but also not wishing to be sick.

She could hear Ron's breathing from where she was sitting. It was heavy and uneven. The logical part of her mind was remembering the amount of blood and thinking that it was good that he was breathing at all. (Though, that might still be a slight exaggeration) While the emotional part of her mind, (which was, unfortunately, the stronger of the two voices) was sobbing heavily and begging Ron to be okay. Hermione found a nice compromise: crying silently. It was, admittedly, much better than sobbing; though, Hermione wished she could have been a slight bit stronger and able to help.

It seemed unfair that Ron was the one to get injured badly, especially since it was the second time.

She had been so guilty the first time; it had been her fault, no doubt. She would bet that if Harry knew they were looking for him – and he would, only an idiot wouldn't realize – then he'd feel ridiculously guilty.

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Harry stared down at his best mate. Ron was paler than normal, but he was also rapidly gaining color from Bill's treatment. It was good that Bill knew so much about healing.

It was also sad that he needed to. Harry knew Ron would be all right; after all, what was a couple of deep scratches compared to the Cruciatus curse?

Why had Ron been out there? He – and Hermione – had had no reason to.

Unless…

They were searching for him. He'd been the one outside, and they knew it. They had tried to find him, and Ron had gotten hurt.

Ron had gotten hurt.

Ron had gotten hurt… trying to help him.

At once, guilt flooded through him, and he bit his lip. Harry could remember Ron's words from earlier – Merlin, that wasn't that long ago – when sixth year ended.

"_And then we'll go with you, wherever you're going." _Back then, it had meant a lot. Now, it meant more than words could say.

Harry, his own face now pale, stared down at Ron. Now, Ron was breathing more evenly, and his eyes were starting to flutter open once again.

"Ron?" he asked desperately. "You okay, mate?"

"Yeah," Ron said in a hoarse voice. "'M fine. Are… you okay… Harry?" Already, his voice was blurred by exhaustion. Harry could remember the days spent that Ron would have large bags under his eyes from his injury.

"I'm fine, Ron," Harry said, looking at his best friend. He'd been injured by both Harry and James. Apparently, the entire Potter family was out to get Ron.

Harry glanced at one of the large windows, and he saw the early morning sun beginning to peek out through the clouds. It was a sight he welcomed after the long night.

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The werewolf ran, jaws snapping at nothing as his beady eyes observed the fading moon. His instincts said that he had little time left. He had been sorely disappointed this night. His prey had escaped – twice! One of the times it had been cowering under him, blood welling in its wounds. Yet, it had still escaped. The werewolf's straggly, silver fur snagged at the underbrush as he pelted far away from the small cottage. He wanted to run as far as he could before the change began, and he wanted to finally have some peace from the other werewolf. The brown, large wolf had beaten him with strength. Though, he had lacked the blood thirst of a normal werewolf; there was something wrong with him. He had tried to protect the prey – both times.

The werewolf snarled, imagining the prey beneath his jaws, being torn to pieces by his teeth. Glancing up at the3 moon, he noticed that he had mere moments before the change began. He let out a howl of frustration, which quickly melted into pained screams as his bones twisted and popped, reforming a human body.

He was trapped, and his freedom was gone until the moon shone once more.

James blinked open his eyes and saw the early morning sunlight. Groaning in pain, he closed his eyes and allowed himself to sleep.

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**Hey guys. How's it going with everyone?**

**Please read and review! Full moon is over, and Ron is okay. What will happen next? Give me some ideas; I'm open to suggestions.**

**For once I didn't leave you a cliffhanger! Wow.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings. Which doesn't matter because this is Harry Potter. (That's what happens when you are watching a movie while you type.) I don't own Harry Potter.**

**Thank you to all my old reviewers!**


	11. Trust

Remus, his body protesting the fast movements, walked quickly through the forest. He searched for James. The werewolf had raced ahead of him, running at a speed Remus would have thought impossible for one so malnourished.

But the wolf's will had been stronger than the body's weakness. Remus shivered as he remembered the sharp fear as the wolf had ripped -no, shattered - every ward they had placed so carefully around the clearing. He had been able to do nothing other than trail after the other.

It had been close - extremely close and long past scarily close. James had nearly torn Harry and Ron both to shreds. Remus felt a burst of worry-borne irritation. They could have been killed! Why had they - all three of them! - been out on this night? The one - one! - night that had been so, so dangerous for them.

James had ripped through layers of powerful wards. Bill and Remus had spent the better part of the afternoon casting them. Remus never would have thought that James was that strong - that terribly, terribly strong. He was faster than Remus had imagined, and he had come close to killing everyone.

Remus continued walking, following the tracks of a werewolf obsessed by his small taste a freedom. It was a freedom that James himself was searching for still. He had not found it, trapped in the crevices of his own mind.

James was as imprisoned as he had been in Malfoy Manor because, truly, it didn't matter where he was or who he was near, he never escaped the darkness that surrounded him like a castle's moat. It enshrouded him, and James acted as if it was all he knew. Perhaps - in his mind, tortured and broken - it was all he knew.

Remus wanted - so badly - to see the old James in him.

Or - dare he even think it - he wished James was dead. For how he lived now... No one deserved that. Remus wouldn't have wished that fate on anyone, not even his worst enemy.

But why did he find himself wishing for his best friend to linger on?

Brushing aside a bit more of the underbrush, Remus noticed the tracks had slowed. This must have been when the moon was setting.

Sure enough, laying a few paces ahead was James. He was muttering brokenly in his sleep, near to waking.

"Lily… I – I miss you…" Almost as soon as he heard the words, Remus turned away slightly. He had always, when he thought James was dead, believed that at least he was with Lily. They, together forever, could overcome being torn so cruelly from their friends and son. He would be with his parents and with Lily. James would've seen Gideon and Fabian again and Marlene and Mary.

That was the one thing he had always believed. Now, he learned he was wrong. James had been tormented, alone, for all those years, and all the pain Remus felt, James had also felt, but it was worse. Even now, if what Harry said was true, James did not know that Sirius reconciled with Harry.

Hell, James didn't believe Harry was still alive, and Remus couldn't blame him. He acted as if he was lost in a maze, alone, and unable to keep on searching. Still, though, he looked sometimes.

Remus feared that he'd reach the end one day, only to find it locked, and he could not escape it.

Suddenly, James groaned. He was waking up.

"Lily... Do you remember when Harry was born? Of course you do... You were so happy. We all were. Sirius and you and me and P- a - and Remus. We all had bets on if he'd be a boy or girl."

James paused his mutterings, eyes staring out into the forest. He had clearly not noticed Remus.

"Sirius and I voted that he'd be a girl. We never told you that, Lily. You would have killed us for that. We said that only a bitch could kick that much. But... Remus... Remus said - he said-"

"That only a Potter boy would disrespect his mother and cause her that much pain."

James whipped around, eyes widening.

"You..." he breathed. "You - Remus - you... It's not you! He's not you. I don't know what the hell you're playing, but you're not-"

"I am, James. I am Remus Lupin. I am the werewolf that kept you from tearing the others apart last night."

"Why'd you stop me? I'm already a killer. They left them in there on full moon, and I couldn't stop myself... I killed them." Remus bit his lip. James was doing what Remus had used to. He had to realize that the werewolf wasn't him. The werewolf was Moony in himself. In James, Remus didn't know. It certainly wasn't Prongs, but it also wasn't James.

"You're not a killer, James. The werewolf's the killer. Do you remember when you told me that same thing? I am not the wolf; Moony's the wolf. It's the same with you." James looked into Remus' eyes.

"Do you really believe that?" James whispered.

"I do," Remus said quietly. "And you do, too. You told me that, James. Remember?"

"Yeah," James whispered. "I do remember, but I'm not sure it's real." Remus swallowed hard. It was progress, good progress, but he couldn't help but wish for more. James' eyes still had a glimmer of what they had been, and Remus wanted him back. Merlin, Remus wanted him back.

"It is real, James. It is, and we are too. I am, Bill is, Harry is- yes, he is real. We aren't death eaters, and this is no trick. Please, believe me," Remus said with a calm he certainly didn't feel. James dropped his gaze to the forest floor. Remus waited, and after a minute, James raised his head again.

When he did, his eyes were clearer, brighter. They were more like the old James' eyes, but they were not the same.

"I want to, but I don't quite think I can. Not yet, anyway, but... Remus... thank you."

"For what?" Remus whispered. James closed his eyes, and suddenly, there were tears forming in the corners and running down his cheeks.

"For trying."

"I'm your friend, James. I'll always try," Remus vowed. To his surprise, James' eyes veiled with shadows once again.

"That's not true. I thought that, a long time ago, and I failed. You will too." Remus stepped forward, towards James and dared to put a hand on his shoulder. Shockingly, James didn't shake him off. Instead, he smiled. It was small, but it was something – a big something.

"That doesn't mean I won't try my best." James leaned into Remus suddenly and a sob exploded out of him.

"I – I told Lily that. I told her that I – I'd protect her," he shouted, crying out. "Why couldn't I, Remus?"

"Because –" Remus faltered slightly as he embraced the friend he had not truly seen for so long. "Because we are all called to follow destiny. Lily died so Harry could live. He is alive, James."

"Then why did I live! Why could I have not died alongside her?" James nearly screamed, tears streaming out of his eyes.

"You lived to help Harry, James, and he needs it. Help your son, James. Join the Order, and we can win this war. It isn't over, not while Harry's alive!" James pulled his teary face away from Remus' shoulder.

"I will be no help. I can't even use a wand anymore. I'm not Prongs – You know that a werewolf can't be an Animagus."

"Bill might be able to remove the curse on your arm, James. And there are other ways to help. You can reclaim the house you grew up in, and we could use it for the Order. We have lost Grimmauld Place. There should be somewhere where we can all meet."

"I'll do it," James said. "And if Bill can get rid of this thing on my arm, then I'll fight, too."

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**Hey guys! Sorry for the wait, but I have to say, I really like this chapter. Although, this story seems to be changing, and the ending I planned is becoming less and less likely. Which is sad because I liked that ending. **

**So, please review. Leave me some ideas on where to take this story.**

**Next chapter there may be a meeting between Harry and James. It just matters where my pen takes me. Although, remember, James said nothing about truly believing Harry is alive. The angst is not over, people!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**

**Thank you to all my old reviewers and special thanks to Dr. Pepper 87 for giving me the idea for Remus to finish one of James' stories.**


	12. Shadows

For a while, Remus and James stood still. Each drew strength from the other's presence. It had been far too long since they had last embraced.

"Remus?" James asked softly.

"Hmm?" Remus murmured, lost in his own thoughts.

"How will I help? It's been so long-"

"You helped Harry, Ron, and Hermione escape, James," Remus said, pulling back to look into James' eyes.

"Yeah, I – I know, but what if I'm too weak? I collapsed after that," James whispered.

"You aren't weak, James. You were held there for a long time. Hell, you're still not up to full strength." James dropped his gaze to the ground.

"I know, but I doubt I'll ever get better."

"You will, James. I promise you, and I'll help you. C'mon, we should go back to Shell Cottage," Remus said. James didn't reply, and they walked back to the cottage in an awkward silence.

When they entered the cottage, Bill greeted them.

"Hey, Remus, James," he said with a nod.

"Bill," Remus replied with a short nod. James nodded at him, not speaking but still surprising Bill.

"You probably should get some rest," Bill said.

"The kids – are they okay?" Remus asked, ignoring Bill. Bill scowled.

"Harry and Hermione are fine. Ron's leg is broken, but Fleur's fixing it now. He should be fine." It was clear that Bill was still annoyed, and Remus could not blame him for that. Remus couldn't deny that he thought it had been very foolish for the teens to be out. Though, he didn't know the circumstances and could only hope that they had a very good reason for being outside.

Suddenly, Luna entered the room.

"Mr. Potter," she said with a smile, like she was not surprised to see him standing with Remus.

James nodded. His gaze seemed to slide to the floor, and a couple worry lines became clearer – they had never disappeared fully.

"I'm glad that you found your friends, Mr. Potter," Luna said, apparently not noticing his discomfort.

"Thank you, -"James paused, seeming to try and get a hold of himself. It was clear that Luna was affecting him. Maybe because she had been in the cellar with him? "Er – What's your name again? I'm sorry but-"

"Luna Lovegood," she said with a smile, still ignoring – she couldn't be that oblivious to not have noticed it – James extreme discomfort.

"Well… Thanks, Luna. And – and thanks for the help in Malfoy Manor," James said, his eyes slid from the floor, travelling up her body, but before they could reach her eyes, they fell again.

"I didn't help you, James. I was stuck there, too. Harry and Ron helped you."

"No, they saved me – as unwilling as I was," James said softly. Remus wondered why he was trying to convince Luna of something so trivial, but he was also glad that James was showing the determination he had in his youth; the same determination that caused Lily to fall in love with him, in the end. "You helped me. You would talk with me, and though, I did not respond and did not react kindly, it was still… hope. It was hope."

"Anyone can send hope, Mr. Potter. Only a few can actually listen. I have to go now. Mr. Ollivander said that he saw a gnome in the garden. They're very beneficial, you know; one might even bite me."

She turned, her blonde hair dropping off of her shoulders and falling down her back. Then, with a light spring in her back, she walked off, into the garden.

"Did she really help you that much?" Remus asked. He was hesitant to ask a question like that, but he was curious at the same time.

"Yes," James said shortly. Neither Bill nor Remus missed the tension in his shoulders or the way he changed the subject quickly.

"Do you think you could take this… thing off my arm, Bill."

"I don't know, James," Bill said. "Would you mind if I took a look?" Remus could see that Bill was treating James like he was unstable. He hoped James didn't notice. The old James would have laughed it off, but the new James… he didn't know what would happen.

Probably nothing, but it was always better to not take the chance.

"Of course not, Bill."

He stretched out his arm, showing the symbol. Remus winced as he stared at it. It was the snake from the Dark Mark – though, there was no skull – and in its mouth, there was a phoenix. The phoenix was very realistic; it's feathers scuffed and dirty. The worst was its eyes. The phoenix was crying, but the way the tears fell, they hit nothing and were useless.

The symbolism was clear. James was in the Death Eaters' clutches. He would not escape, and he would not be healed.

Remus felt happiness blossom in him as he realized that James was free and on his way to recovery. As Bill examined James' arm – trying to ignore the way he flinched backwards every time Bill moved his hand – Remus looked into his eyes.

He had been hasty in believing James would get better quickly.

His hazel eyes appeared almost dirty. Though, Remus knew that was false. However, as he looked into them, noticing the beads of sweat gathering on his forehead as Bill touched him, however gently, he could still see shadows.

It had been stupid to believe that James would make a fast recovery. Yes, he was better, but he was in no way healed, and he could still go backwards. His eyes had not changed since Remus had first seen him.

Only two emotions could shine through them.

Anger.

Fear.

Everything else – Remus hoped desperately that he felt other emotions – was hidden beneath, blocked from sight.

Until James felt comfortable enough to come out with it, he was still trapped in his own mind, and his own mind would hold him. He would find no escape in darkness, for James was already lost within it.

Remus longed to reach out and clap a hand onto James' shoulder – to comfort him, - but he knew that it would do no good. James was different, now, and he would always be. There was no erasing, never any erasing.

There was no escape, either.

James would be trapped like that until he healed. There would be no redemption unless he was helped, and Remus fully intended to help him. He had to; James deserved it after he had done so much for Remus when they were younger.

James and Sirius had been his first true friends. He had been extremely awkward, believing that they wouldn't like him and not knowing how to get to know them. Remus had always been kept separate from the others after he had been bitten.

Remus was knocked from his thoughts by the sound of someone walking towards them. Turning, he saw that it was Harry.

"Harry?" Bill said, looking up from his examination. Remus noticed that James refused to meet Harry's eyes.

"Ron, Hermione, and I are leaving soon – as soon as Ron's leg is better. Griphook is coming with us."

"What… Where –" Bill stuttered, only to be interrupted by Harry.

"We can't tell you. Dumbledore left us a mission – it has to be us."

"Why do you need Griphook's help, Harry?" Bill asked firmly.

"I – I can't say-"

"I will respect that, Harry," Bill said. "But I also have to warn you. I worked with goblins for years. If you have promised Griphook something – he will get it. You cannot double-cross a goblin, and they're notions about payment are different than a human's."

"I respect that –"

"You don't understand. Goblins think that an artifact is owned by the maker. They will not hesitate to take something from you if they believe it to be theirs."

"Thank you, Bill," Harry said. "And we'll be careful. But we need his help on this."

"Okay, Harry. Just be careful."

"We will…" Harry said. He unconsciously reached up and flattened his bangs. Remus recognized the motion as his nervousness and stress showing through.

"Are you sure we can't help you, Harry?" he asked desperately. He had always wanted to be as close as Harry as Sirius had been, and he wished Harry would confide in him.

He also, however, respected his privacy.

"No, I- We- What are you doing, Bill?" he blurted out, trying to change the subject. With a glance at Remus and a nod, Bill accepted the change.

"I'm seeing if I can remove this from James' arm."

"Can you?" Harry asked slowly. For the first time since he had come down, he looked straight at James.

"I don't know yet – I think so. I can tell that there isn't a lot of power in it – it was probably more of a way to scorn him, rather than a real precaution," Bill said.

"Why now, of all times?" Harry asked bitterly. Remus could see the guard in his eyes. He also saw the shadows in them. Shadows that, to his utmost horror, seemed to reflect a much milder version of James'.

The war had been – and still is – hard on the Potter family.

Bill understood that Harry wasn't truly asking that. He understood that Harry was just done with the war – as were all of them.

"Because I want to help," James said. He didn't look at Harry. In fact, he seemed to be avoiding looking up at all cost. Instead, he stared at his arm as Bill prodded at it.

"I hope you can, James," Harry said softly. Remus noticed that James didn't seem upset that Harry didn't call him dad. Instead, he seemed slightly relieved.

He wasn't ready for Harry to be his son. Not yet.

James looked up at Harry. When he saw Harry, he flinched and his gaze dropped down once again.

"I will," he whispered. There was a long, awkward moment of silence.

"Er- I'm going to-"Harry turned and left, no doubt going back to the room Ron and Hermione were in.

"James? Are you okay?" Remus asked.

"No," James said bitterly and with a harsh bite in his voice. "I'll never be okay."

"Why, James?" Remus asked softly.

"I can't tell if – if it's real. If he's real. I want to, but I can't." James ran his left hand through his hair in a motion that was sickeningly familiar and yet not recognizable.

"He is," Remus promised immediately.

"But I don't know that!" James shouted. "Why – How isn't he dead?" Both other men flinched away at the yells.

"Lily gave his life up for him, James. That's why he's alive," Remus said.

"I can't believe that," James said, suddenly stoic and calm. "He shouldn't be alive."

"Why, James?" Remus asked, seeing the understanding that suddenly flashed in James' eyes and painted his voice.

"Because – after I failed to protect him – I don't deserve to have him."

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**Hey, guys! I have some important news! This fic is almost finished! I'll be putting all my focus into it, so I'm sorry for all those who read other fics I write, but they won't be updated until this is finished. However, my personal date that I promise to have it done by is April 11****th****.**

**Please review; they inspire me a lot.**

**Thanks to my old reviewers. **

**Please vote in my poll. Should I write a Lord of the Rings fic?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter; I only put the characters through hell.**


	13. Change

"No, James," Remus protested. "You tried-"

"Exactly," James snarled, suddenly whipping his arm out of Bill's grasp. "I tried, and I failed. I failed."

"James-" Remus began desperately, but James' actions silenced him. James had stood and turned his back on them.

"For a moment – just a moment – I thought that I might have a chance, that I could redeem myself. But… no. I'm too weak for that." His voice reflected a deep pain and self-resentment.

"James," Bill said. "I think I can take the mark off, and you can help even if it is on."

"Really?" James snarled, still not facing them. "How?"

"You can be there for Harry-" Bill began. Remus' gaze snapped to Bill. That was a dangerous claim to make with James' wariness of his son. He hoped Bill knew what he was doing.

James whipped around, trembling with dark anger.

"I suppose I could," he said in a soft voice that seemed to imply the opposite of what his body position did. "I suppose I could support the boy that calls himself my son."

"James-"

"I know what you're going to say, Remus," James shouted before Remus could even decide how to say what he wanted to. "You want me to believe that he's my damn son. And let me tell you now – I don't!"

"Why not, James? You can trust us," Remus said, raising his own voice to be heard over James.

"Can I?" he said furiously. "I'll be betrayed. What is friendship worth when it can fade so quickly?" He met Remus' eyes, and Remus was shocked by the depth the shadow and pain in them. If anything, it seemed James had gotten worse since Remus had first seen him.

"I used to think that friends were forever. Then it was betrayal and torture that lasted forever. And you come, and tell me I'm wrong. And let me tell you this, Remus – _Moony_ – I don't believe you."

"So what do you think?" Remus asked. James hesitated, but his anger stayed as strong as it had been before.

"I believe – I believe what I know to be true. We used to be inseparable, and Voldemort broke that. I used to think you were the best to go to for advice, and now, I find that I doubt that was ever true."

"But why James?" Remus pleaded. "Why did I lose your trust?"

"The Remus I knew would have realized that when he touched my coffin, I sat inside, desperate to signal I was alive to him. The Remus I knew would have trusted Sirius when he said that he wasn't the traitor. The Remus I knew would have bloody visited the grave Lily and I were supposedly in. And then none of this would have happened because he would have seen that it had been broken into!" Remus was pale, terribly pale, as James laid out what he was guilty of.

James was right. He should have realized something was wrong or visited the grave. Instead, he hadn't because it had been too painful for him.

He had been weak to not do that.

Most of all, however, he should have trusted that Sirius would have never betrayed James and Lily. Now, he reaped the results of his betrayal.

Sirius may have forgiven him, but James – who he had missed so badly over the years – did not.

"James, hundreds of people visit your grave; there are no signs that it was broken into," Bill said, trying to take the emphasis off of Remus. He could see just how much it was hurting Remus.

"Not anymore," James said. Then he laughed, cold and bitter. "Did you truly expect there to be after so many years? But there was. And those people – they hadn't seen what it looked like when Lily and I were put in. They wouldn't have recognized the change."

"So many others that visited had seen it, James. It isn't his fault," Bill continued.

"But it is," James snarled. "If anyone would have noticed, I think it would have been the bloody werewolf with his enhanced senses."

"No-" Bill tried again. James cut him off with a laugh.

"Can you honestly deny it wasn't his fault? He could have stopped it – all of it. And if you can deny it – like you have, then maybe I was wrong about you, too. You are an Order member. Phoenixes represent light and truth. And you just lied."

"James, I am not lying," Bill declared vehemently. Remus found that the more James spoke, the guiltier he began to feel.

James was right. He had given up on his friends, and he had betrayed them. It had cost Sirius twelve years in Azkaban and two on the run. It had cost James sixteen years of torture. Both men had been changed drastically from the naïve students they had been. The changes had been for the worse in both.

And they had been his fault.

"Are you not?" James said. He was mocking Bill and had a strange half-smirk on. Remus had never seen James wear that expression before. "The Order of the Phoenix isn't what I thought it was."

"What did you think it was, then," Bill said. Remus could see that he was beginning to grow angry. That was the last thing James needed, but Remus couldn't stop the words Bill had already spoken.

"I thought it was an organization worth dying for."

"It is," Bill hissed.

"According to who?" James asked. He seemed calm now, unemotional.

"To every member that fights." Remus winced. That had been the wrong thing to say. James was going to tear him up for that.

"Every member that-"Sure enough, James had started yelling again. "You are a fool, Bill Weasley! Wormtail fought for you! Snape fought for you! Do you think that they would have been honored to die for the cause? I fought, too. And I began to regret that a long time ago."

It was the part about Snape that made bill snap. Suddenly, his anger was rolling out of him in thick waves, and he couldn't control it.

"So, what? Are you not going to fight? Are you not going to help us?"

"Help you?" James asked, raising an eyebrow. "No. But I will fight. It just won't be with the Order." He stood and walked determinedly out of the room.

"James?" Remus cried. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to fight this bloody war. "

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Harry sighed as he entered the room where Hermione and Ron were snuggling up with each other.

"Harry, mate? Are you sure you don't want to stay-"

"We can't, Ron," Harry snapped at him. Harry sighed again, unconsciously flattening his hair.

"I know you don't want to leave James, Harry," Hermione began.

"I have to," Harry grounded out, anger and frustration evident in his voice.

"Harry, _we_ have to," Hermione pointed out. "You aren't alone in this."

"I'm doing this for the whole Wizarding World. Why is it so hard to not be selfish?" Harry asked her, turning pained green eyes to meet hers.

"Harry, it isn't selfish to want to stay with your family-"

"Does he even think I am his family, Hermione? No, he hates me. I finally meet him, and he hates me."

"He doesn't hate you, Harry. What about in fourth year. He saved you in the Priori Incantantem."

"Did he?" Harry asked venomously. "I don't know what that was that night, but he was in Malfoy Manor."

Hermione turned away, sighing as her expression twisted with sadness. Ron began to try and convince Harry.

"We can do this, mate," he tried. Harry smiled thinly.

"We're going to break into Gringotts, Ron. We really can't do this."

"We will," Ron declared vehemently. "We are going to win this war." Harry only stared back at him, not offering a reply.

Hermione stood and stepped to the window, her thoughts consumed by Priori Incantantem.

"That might be why it worked," she breathed, too quiet for the others to hear. "I just hope I'm wrong. Harry would be devastated."

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**Hey, guys! Guess what, it's a miracle! I updated twice! In one day! **

**Sorry for all those that thought James was healed. He most certainly is not completely better. **

**So, tell me your thoughts and please review. **

**Thanks to all of my old reviewers.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**


	14. The Mark

"So, are we ready to leave," Ron asked, his voice seeming a little too loud in the garden. Hermione nodded, unnatural, black hair flying across her face in the wind.

"I'm ready. Harry?" she asked, turning to him. He was already holding his invisibility cloak in one hand. Turning back to look at Shell Cottage, he sighed.

"Yeah. I'm ready." Then he turned away, and without looking back, he put the cloak over him, and then they were gone.

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"James-"

"Don't Remus," he yelled. "I am so-"

"No," Remus shouted, his resolve finally shattering. He was exhausted from the full moon, and while he knew he was being irrational with James, he couldn't help it.

"James, if you go out there, you will be captured or killed. The taboo is up – do you even know what that is?"

"Yes," James said stiffly. He dropped his gaze to his hands, which were fiddling in front of him. James seemed calmer and more likely to actually listen to a rational explanation.

"You need to stay here, James," Remus said. "Bill thinks he can remove the Mark." James looked up at Bill, who nodded in agreement.

"I should be able to. The structure of the spell isn't unique. V – You-Know-Who must have never expected anyone to try and remove it because it certainly isn't that difficult."

"Then do it," James growled, holding up his forearm. Bill looked unpleased with being ordered around, but he was also wise enough to realize that if he didn't, then James would leave. He pulled out his wand, ignoring how James flinched when he dragged it closer to him.

Remus noticed the flinch, and for a moment, he thought of putting a comforting hand on Remus' shoulder. A second later, it hit him how badly that would go over. James did not want Remus to comfort him.

Not now, anyway. In the forest, James had been much more open. However, he had also been at his weakest, considering how he had just woken up.

Bill began to wave his wand in a repetitive pattern over James' arm. Remus recognized the motion of a standard curse-breaking charm. Surely, what Voldemort had done had to be more complicated than that.

Then again, Bill had also said that Voldemort hadn't made it difficult to break. Remus couldn't see the reasoning behind doing that, but Remus couldn't see the reasoning behind killing millions of people, either.

James winced every once in a while, but other than that, he was still. After only a few minutes, Bill changed the wand pattern and began to mutter a spell.

Remus didn't recognize this spell, so he concluded that it was more complicated than the one before it. Bill, however, was moving with practiced ease. It was clear that he had done this spell before.

Another couple of minutes passed before Remus noticed that the Mark was fading slowly. Already, the phoenix wasn't a vibrant red. Also, the tears had stopped dripping from its eyes.

The snake, however, was still dark colored and seemed to not be fading. Bill had closed his eyes as his voice rose in volume. Apparently, the spell did require a little focus.

After a little more than a minute, Bill stopped and set down his wand. It had only been around ten minutes for the entire procedure.

He opened his eyes and looked at James' arm. The phoenix and the tears were gone, but the snake was as vivid as it ever was. Bill was visibly shocked.

"It should be gone," he said, puzzled. "The curse is – I got rid of it." James let out a bitter laugh.

"You were actually thinking that your little spell would work. Voldemort gave me this; if he didn't want it removed, then it never would be," James said. The look in his eyes was near delirious. Remus felt a little sick as he said those words. As much as he knew they weren't meant the same way, they reminded him unpleasantly of when Bellatrix Lestrange gloried in how her master was – in her eyes – unbeatable.

Remus shook his head to dispel the comparison – comparing James to her was both unfair and sickening.

"The spell did work – I'm sure of it," Bill said. "Here, take this." He pulled a wad out of his pocket. Remus recognized it almost immediately.

It was James' wand.

It was the wand that had caused so much mischief at school and had helped the Order.

It was the wand that was lying helpless on the floor next to his supposedly dead body in Godric's Hollow.

It was the wand that had been buried with him; the wand that, finally, got another chance to be wielded by the one who owned it.

"No-" James protested, but Bill took advantage in the fact that he was still holding James' arm.

As soon as the shaft touched his skin, James cringed back, waiting for the sharp, terrible pain to follow.

One minute passed.

Another minute.

James' face had shifted from fear to an undisguised shock. He closed his fingers around the wand resting in his hand and pulled the arm out of Bill's grasp.

"I – I can hold it," he whispered. He looked down at the snake. "You don't control me!" he snarled at it. Remus smiled at his old friend – ignoring the way he was talking to a snake on his arm.

It was great to see the wonder in James' eyes, and it had been worth it.

All that had happened while James was sitting there, having Bill look at his arm was worth the look of amazement that was now in his eyes.

Looking at James, Remus knew that they had won a battle today. James had improved again; yes, the change was small, but it still was a change. Every change was important if James wanted to heal.

Remus promised silently that he would never leave James as long as James tried to heal. He was trying; Remus could see that. James just needed help, and Remus would be the one to help him.

James had fallen silent, staring at his hand and wand. Finally, Bill prompted him.

"James," he said. "Try a spell – something simple." James nodded and help up his wand. Pointing it at a small trinket on a side table, he whispered,

"Wingardium Leviosa." The trinket – it was a small sea shell – floated an inch or two off of the table. James' face began to split in a huge smile – something that resembled what he looked like when he was younger.

Then the happiness shattered. James suddenly gasped and doubled over, holding his arm tightly. The shell fell back to the table with a harsh clang, putting a small crack in the glass.

"James," Remus cried. He grabbed his friend's shoulder, and at the touch, James straightened. He loosened his grip on his arm and held it out before him. The dark snake that had been still was now moving and writhing.

James' breaths were coming out in harsh gasps, and it was clear by the way that his muscles in his arm and hard were spasming that he was in a lot of pain. Remus watched as the snake twisted around. Like a terrible vivid picture, the snake opened its mouth – Merlin! It even had fangs – and a skull emerged. The snake twisted around until finally, the snake and the skull became the dark mark.

Underneath of it, stark black words formed.

NEVER FREE

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**Hey everyone! Thanks to all my reviewers! Wow! That was more than I was expecting.**

**Sorry for this chapter being a bit shorter. I really wanted to use that cliffhanger.**

**So, tell me your thoughts. Please review! I really need a good way to transition into the Final Battle from here.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**


	15. Magic

All three men were staring at the Mark with horror. It had finally stopped writhing on James' arm. Now, it appeared to be in black ink, deceivingly harmless. James was the first to notice that, in his hand, he still held his wand.

When he had doubled over, some small, nearly forgotten instinct had told him to hold onto his wand at all costs. He had listened to it.

He waited for the pain to fly through him – sharp pain, terrible pain – but it never came. His body cringed backward immediately – just seeing the wand in his hand was enough for fear to flood into him.

Bill stared at the Mark with a mix of dread, horror, and the slightest bit of curiosity. After all, that had been a bit of impressive magic. Horrible, yes. Dark, yes.

But it was extraordinary all the same.

It shocked him when James spoke.

"I – I can still- I'm holding my wand," he said. He stared at his seemingly traitorous hand that clutched to the wand as if it was his lifeline.

Which, in all honesty, it was.

Bill knew that the curse was gone – annihilated. It would not come back; he had taken care of that. So, as imposing as it was, the Mark didn't have the curse behind it. Therefore, it couldn't stop him from doing magic.

All it was – was a stain on his skin. Now that it had stopped moving, Bill could see that there were distinct differences between it and the Dark Mark. For one, it was on his right arm, which, though that didn't mean much, it seemed to promise more differences.

Also, James hadn't got it in the same process as other Death Eaters. Voldemort didn't give him the Mark.

Actually, Voldemort might not have given James the original Mark either.

"James, did You-Know-You give you that Mark himself?"

"No. Malfoy did. I wonder if Voldemort will be angry that he replicated the Dark Mark," James said with a strange, detached calmness.

"That's not really the Dark Mark," Bill stated. Remus looked up with a fierce hope in his eyes.

"Of course not," James said quietly. "The Dark Mark burns terribly when it's put on. This damn Mark stung."

"O – okay," Bill said. James was beginning to scare him; he was showing signs of being in shock, and his gaze still hadn't left his arm. "How do you know what it's like to get the Mark?"

He wasn't accusing James, of course not. However, he was both curious, and he wanted to make James think of something else. James laughed coldly, but he still focused on the Mark, and when he spoke, his voice was distant.

"When a bunch of Death Eaters lock you a cellar and talk as they torture you, you learn a lot of things." Remus took his gaze off of James' arm and looked up at him, anguish in his eyes.

"_I should have been there-" _he began. James held up a hand, finally looking away from his arm; though, he still held it gingerly.

"You couldn't have been," James said. "It's not your fault, Remus. It never was, and I really don't blame you."

"You – you don't? Remus asked pitifully. He was nearly begging James for forgiveness.

"I don't," James confirmed. "And I never truly did."

"But you said-" Remus started to say. Normally, he wouldn't have said something like that. It was clear that James had been angry, and he usually would have just accepted that.

This time, however, he was sure that it was his fault, and he deserved to be blamed. To hear that James didn't blame him was a large shock.

"I've said a lot of things I don't mean," James said with a weak, twisted smile. "But I do mean this. I don't blame you, Remus."

"Thank you, James," Remus said in a choked voice. "Do you think things will ever be how they used to?" James stiffened slightly and dropped his gaze.

Remus mentally bashed himself. Of course nothing would ever be the same! That was the stupidest thing he could have said. Lily was dead. Sirius was dead. James had been tortured. Peter was a traitor.

No.

Nothing would ever be the same.

"So," James started, turning to Bill suddenly. Bill couldn't help but appear shocked as James addressed him.

"Yes?" Bill asked after a moment of him blinking, wide-eyed at James.

"Do you think I could try again? To – you know – use my wand?" Bill sighed and thought for a moment. He truly didn't see any reason for James not to try again. The curse appeared to be gone, but he hadn't even had a chance to examine the new Mark on his arm.

There was a possibility – a seemingly large possibility – that it would cause James pain.

However, Bill couldn't tell him not to do it because of the possibility of failure. After all, there was also the possibility – albeit a small one – that it would work.

"If you want to, James. But it may not work." James nodded, a knowing look in his eyes. He understood that Bill was saying he might get hurt again. However, he seemed to not care, or at least like he believed the pain and failure was worse than not trying at all.

"I'm going to try it – I have to." Neither Bill nor Remus protested as James raised the wand a second time. They knew how important this was to James.

"Wingardium Leviosa." James whispered. He was shaking, but he didn't even try to stop it. His voice trembled, but his eyes showed the determination to make the spell – any spell – work.

For a second, there was silence. Then, the small shell rose off of the table.

And it didn't fall down.

Time seemed to hang still as the small object floated at James' eye level. It had passed the height that it had been at the first time when James had dropped.

All three men were ecstatic as James levitated the small shell.

In truth, it wasn't much harder than levitating a feather; something every Hogwarts first year could do.

But it certainly meant a lot more than it did for any first year.

There was wonder in James' eyes – as much as there was in a first-year's – as he watched the shell float in front of him. Every few seconds, his gaze snapped to his wand, as if he couldn't believe that it was _him _doing the magic.

But it was.

And, to all three men, that was an amazing feeling. Of course, it was much weaker for both Bill and Remus. After all, it wasn't them that had been imprisoned for so long. Still, however, they had both decided to help James heal, even if the decision was an unconscious one, and to see his amazement meant a lot.

Finally, James lowered the shell down. As he was setting it onto the table, he noticed to small crack left from the first time the shell dropped.

"Reparo," he breathed. Once again, he appeared nervous to work any magic.

However, once again, it worked perfectly.

The table's glass just rippled together as if no crack had ever been present. James dropped his left hand – his free hand – and ran his fingers over the top. There was no blemish on the smooth glass.

"I – I can fight," he breathed. "I can fight them. We can stop them." James' voice rose at the end, and he laughed. It wasn't a perfect laugh; no, there was still a large note of madness in the crazed sound, but it was also sweet and nice to hear.

It wasn't sarcastic or bitter.

It wasn't cold.

It was real.

And that felt amazing.

"Would you help me train, Moony, Bill?" James asked. Remus felt a jolt fly through him. So far, James had only called him Moony while he was either weak or being sarcastic.

It felt… nice to hear the name again.

Sure, Sirius had called him that, but now that Sirius had been silenced, and even before that, he had longed to hear James call him Moony. James had been the one to create the nickname, just as he had been the one to call his lycanthropy a "furry little problem."

"Of course," Bill said, after realizing that Remus was lost in his own thoughts. Bill's voice shook Remus out of his stupor, and he answered.

"Sure, James."

James rewarded them with another smile. Just then, Fleur came running into the room.

"Bill!" she cried, tears running from her eyes. "'Arry and – and ze others! Zey are gone!"

"Fleur?" Bill asked urgently. "What happened? Were they kidnapped?" Remus felt another jolt – this time unpleasant, like a painful shock – run through him. Harry could have been taken away from under their noses.

Surely, if he could have been almost ravaged by a werewolf, then Death Eaters could come.

"No," Fleur sobbed. "Zey – zey left. Zey – 'Arry left a letter." She held it out, and Bill took it from her trembling grasp.

_Dear Bill, Fleur, and Professor Lupin,_

_Thank you for rescuing us and helping us for the past two weeks, but we have to leave. Dumbledore gave a job to finish, and we intend to. Don't worry about us. _

_Harry, Ron, and Hermione_

Remus couldn't help but notice as he read the letter that James wasn't mentioned. Seeing that Harry would have been in as much – or more – turmoil as Remus was himself, Remus realized that no one had truly talked to Harry about his father.

Now, he had left.

Glancing at James, Remus saw that James was staring at the letter with a mix of apprehension and curiosity.

He wasn't ready to call Harry his son, but he was damn near it.

Remus looked to Bill, only to see him cradling Fleur in his arms and murmuring comfort.

"It's all right; you couldn't have stopped them from leaving. It'll be okay."

After a moment – or two, it took a long time for Fleur to calm down – Bill released her.

"There's nothing we can do now," Bill said, using his famous skill as the most level-headed Weasley. "Except prepare ourselves to help him. James, do you still want to work on different spells?"

James nodded, and his hand still clutching his wand, he followed when Bill motioned him out the door. Remus came, too, and they spent the rest of the day training.

James improved spectacularly, proving what Bill had once said true.

"_Harry wasn't the only reason Voldemort came to Godric's Hollow that night."_

Remus found himself thinking of it as a poetic justice.

Fear him, Voldemort. Fear him – the one you imprisoned, the one you tortured, the one you thought you broke – fear what he could do to you.

Because he can, and he will fight.

And none have a stronger reason than him.

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**Hey, guys! I hope you like this chapter.**

**It's amazing how this fic is closing up fast. I'd say three to five more chapter s in the entire thing.**

**Wow!**

**So, tell me your thoughts. Please review!**

**By the way, the points system is off. (I keep forgetting to say that.) It just didn't work out.**

**Thanks to all my old reviewers. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

**Until next time.**


	16. The Marauders' Sons - and Wife

The next morning, Bill had only just woken up when he heard an owl tapping on his window.

Rolling out of bed, he opened the window and took the letter, allowing the owl inside to rest. He didn't wait for the owl to leave; instead, he just left the window open. Then he went down to where Remus and fleur were eating breakfast. Luna and Mr. Ollivander were sure to join them soon.

James was still sleeping. He deserved the rest. James had spent most of the day training so that he could fight.

Bill had to admit that James was better than he had been expecting.

While James had been rusty at first, he had improved quickly. He had even won one of the duels they had staged. Of course, the only reason he won – it had been against Remus – was because he fought dirty.

He had used a special shield charm – Merlin knows where he learned it, but with all of the stories he knew of what James had done at school, he really wasn't surprised – that didn't reflect the spell. It only absorbed it.

Remus thought he had hit James, and James had doubled up.

Then he had waited until Remus dropped his wand and began to see if he was okay to disarm Remus. Bill thought it had been good for both of them. Remus had learned to suspect a trick; which most likely would happen. After all, they were going to be dueling death eaters. They certainly didn't play nice. James had realized afterwards that his technique would have never worked against a death eater, and it had only worked because Remus cared about his well-being.

A death eater was the opposite.

They would be ecstatic if they had the "honour" of killing James Potter.

They were sick. All of them.

And that was why they were fighting.

Because they knew that the death eaters could not have free reign.

Because they knew that so many innocents had already been killed.

Bill was scared; he wasn't afraid to admit it. He was scared for his wife and his family. He was scared for Tonks and Remus and Teddy. He was scared for Harry and Hermione.

He was scared for James. And yes, he was scared for himself but not nearly as much as he was scared for the others.

James wasn't truly ready, but there was no way that he wouldn't fight. The others were also in danger. Bill even found himself wondering how Percy was doing. He couldn't help it; he just couldn't believe the toddler that had tried to follow him everywhere when he was younger would betray his family.

Glancing at the letter while drinking coffee, he saw it was addressed to "Romulus". Bill knew that was the name Remus had used for Potterwatch, so he silently handed the letter over to him.

"Bill?" Remus asked. "Where did you get this?" It was clear that he recognized the one who wrote it from their messy scrawl.

"An owl brought it. That's part of the wards here. The only owls that can come through are the ones whose owners mean no harm."

"Who's it from?" Fleur asked curiously. Remus looked up with a large smile on his face.

"It's from Dora."

He opened the letter, only to look at it with horror.

"What is it-" Bill began to say, imagining something had gone terribly wrong. Before he could, the letter jumped into the air and began to scream in Tonks' voice.

"REMUS LUPIN! YOU TOLD ME THAT YOU WOULD BE GONE FOR A FEW HOURS! IT'S BEEN DAYS, REMUS! I THOUGHT YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE THE RESPONSIBLE ONE! YOU WERE A DAMN PROFESSOR!"

Bill watched, more than slightly amused, as Remus' face began to grow red. It sounded like Tonks was extremely annoyed with him. Who blamed her, though? After all, Remus had forgotten to send her a letter telling her what had happened.

"TEDDY HAS BEEN CRYING CONSTANTLY, AND I SWEAR IF YOU AREN'T BACK SOON, THEN TEDDY _WILL_ BE YOUR ONLY CHILD! SO GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE BEFORE I TRY TO CONVINCE TEDDY TO THROW UP ON _YOUR_ CLOTHES INSTEAD OF MINE!"

By this point, Remus was past the stage of complete shock, and he looked quite embarrassed by the whole situation. James, who had apparently woken up because of the shouting, came down the stairs. Meanwhile, the letter was still yelling.

"TEDDY KEEPS CRYING, AND YOU BETTER HOPE THAT I DON'T RUN OUT ON YOU LIKE YOU DID TO ME BECAUSE THEN YOU'LL NEVER GET HIM TO SHUT UP!"

Suddenly, Tonks' voice became a lot quieter and pleading.

"Teddy, please stop crying… Just because I'm shouting doesn't mean you need to be, too… AHH! MERLIN! I SWEAR TEDDY-"

The letter cut off abruptly. Fleur and Bill were trying to keep from laughing. Remus was still staring at the remains of the letter with horror.

"Ah- Remus?" James asked hesitantly. "What was… that?"

"It was Dora – my wife."

"You're married?" James asked incredulously.

"Yeah-" Remus began.

"Who's Dora?" he asked, as if he hadn't even heard Remus try to speak.

"Nymphadora Tonks," Remus said, his face becoming a bit red.

"Tonks," James said with a grin. "You're related to Sirius."

"And to you – Harry's my son's godfather." At once James froze.

"Yeah – Harry," he said in a choked voice.

"James-" Remus began. James turned away, but Remus refused to allow him to leave.

"No, James! Listen to me! I only have a few moments before I have to go back to Dora.

You tried to save Harry that night. Right?"

"Of course, Remus. That's why I fought," James said, looking at his friend strangely.

"Because you love him, right?" Remus continued.

"Of course!" James said.

"Then _why _won't you accept the fact that you succeeded. Harry's alive, and if you love him, then act like it!"

"I can't, Remus," James cried. "I want to, really – but I can't stop thinking that if I get close to him, then I'll lose him – again!"

"So you'd never try rather than fail," Remus asked coldly.

"No, that's not-" James protested. Remus interrupted him.

"That's what you just said! Harry's amazing, James. And if you don't get to know him, then I pity you. And I feel sorry for Harry.

He deserves better than that."

"I know that," James shouted. "I know that Harry deserves the best – and it's not me! What if Harry doesn't want his mad father back after so long."

"That just proves how much you don't know him, James," Remus said quietly. "Because Harry would never do that."

"He didn't even mention me in that letter – when he left," James said softly. "What if he hates me?"

"He doesn't, James." Remus said firmly. "He's as hurt as you are. You've lost your son for just as long as he's lost his father. He misses Lily and Sirius, too. He's hurting, James, and he'll keep distancing himself until you change that."

"I'm not sure if I can, Remus," James said. "Harry's gone. I don't know where he went."

"Oh, we'll hear from Harry again, believe me." Remus said. "Now, I really have to go or else Dora might not let me into the house…" Remus stood and nodded at Bill, Fleur, and James.

"Goodbye, I'm sure we'll be seeing each other again soon."

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"I knew you'd come!_ I knew it, Harry!" _Neville Longbottom cried, jumping down from the Mantelpiece.

"Neville – what the – how - ?" Neville ignored to spluttered words and hugged Hermione and Ron.

"I knew you'd come! Kept telling Seamus it was only a matter of time!" Harry stood still as Neville explained what had changed in Hogwarts.

Then he stepped into the tunnel and began to walk towards Hogwarts.

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**Hey, guys! So, tell me what you thought! Please review!**

**I added the section with Harry just so I could show where they were. **

**The Final Battle is coming! I'm nervous as to what it'll be like because I've never written a battle like that before.**

**Ah, well. At least it's not romance.**

**Thanks to all my old reviewers!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter!**


	17. Accepting

Remus apparated back to where he and Tonks were staying. Andromeda owned the house. She had invited them to stay with her after Ted had gone missing. It was still morning – usually, Tonks would have been sleeping in, assuming that she hadn't had any work with the Order. For now, however, they had to just hide.

That was the worst part.

The fact that they couldn't do anything.

It was terrible. When he had been helping James, it had felt like he had a purpose – something to help with. Now, however, he could only wait at home.

Then again, he definitely had to help Tonks with Teddy. At the moment, helping his son was his purpose – and it was something he had been, unconsciously, of course, trying to hide from.

He had no idea what he was doing.

The last time he had taken care of a baby was when _Harry_ was a baby. Remus had been the only Marauder that Lily trusted alone with her son. He had protested that he knew nothing of taking care of kids, while Sirius had a younger brother, and James was Harry's father.

Now, however, when he thought about it, he wouldn't have trusted James and Sirius with Teddy alone, either. At least, not the old James. The new James (Merlin, it hurt to admit that James was the same James that he had been friends with at Hogwarts) would maybe have been allowed with Teddy. He trusted James. Dora probably wouldn't.

After all, it had taken him quite a while to believe James was truly James Potter, and he'd met him before – been friends with him, before.

To Dora, it would be like a stranger that she had only heard about was suddenly alive – again – but he acted nothing like he had before. Yeah. That was believable.

"Dora?" he called out. Immediately, the sound of crying filled the small house.

"Remus!" Dora yelled over the cries. "You woke him up! Damn you! He _just_ fell asleep!"

"Er – sorry, Dora."

"Why the hell did you stay that long anyway!" she yelled again, ignoring him. Remus walked into Teddy's room, seeing that Dora was pacing angrily.

It seemed the only reason she wasn't hexing him was because she was holding Teddy.

Ah, the wonders a child could do for a relationship.

"Ah – there were some unforeseen problems…" Remus said. He knew he was stalling the conversation, but as he – and any other sane person (especially a man) – was a slight bit scared of Dora, he did not want to jump straight into it.

"Like what?" she snapped while changing her hair to attempt to make Teddy laugh. Laughing was better than crying.

"Harry, Ron, and Hermione showed up," Remus burst out. That was true. It just wasn't the complete truth. After all, he did stay because they showed up. It was just – he stayed because of someone they brought with them when they showed up.

"Really?" Dora said, her emotions changing so fast that Remus only stared in silence for a moment. "Were they okay? Where have they been? Are they still there? Remus! Why aren't you answering?"

"Because you haven't stopped talking, Dora," Remus said with a small smile.

"Oh, yeah. Well, I've stopped now."

"They were mostly fine; Hermione was a bit beat up. They've been on a mission Dumbledore gave them. No, they left yesterday." Okay, he _may _have left a few things out of that.

Like the fact that Hermione had been tortured by Dora's aunt. She did _not_ need to know that. In fact, Dora didn't need to know that the trio had been in Malfoy Manor at all.

"What mission?" Tonks asked, absently rocking Teddy, whose cries were beginning to quiet.

"They wouldn't say. Said Dumbledore told them to keep it a secret."

"So you just stayed to visit with them and forgot about your wife and child."

"No. I asked Harry to be godfather. And – and they brought someone with them to Shell Cottage. Someone I thought to be dead."

"Who?" Dora asked intrigued. It seemed that even Teddy was interested because his cried stopped.

"You're going to think I'm insane-" Remus began, stalling once again.

"Remus! Just tell me who it is!" Dora snapped. She knew he was delaying.

"James Potter."

"James P- Wait, what?" Dora spluttered. "You're right! I do think you're insane!"

"James Potter is alive, Dora," Remus said quietly.

"Are you making this up?" Dora shouted. "Because I swear, Remus-"

"Shh!" Remus admonished. "Teddy!" Dora glanced at the kid in her arms. The small, scruffy baby with tufts of turquoise hair seemed to calm her. She took a deep breath and continued.

"Remus, James Potter is not alive. He was killed a long time ago."

"That's what I thought," Remus tried to cut in, but Tonks continued.

"It's a trick. I can't believe you believed that – that death eater! Were you confunded?"

"No, Dora, I am not under any spell. And James isn't a death eater."

"How do you know?" Dora snarled.

"Because Harry, Ron, and Hermione rescued him. Because James is a werewolf. Because when he came, he was so broken that he kept asking us – begging us – not to trick him and to take him back to Malfoy Manor."

"James is – What?" Dora said. It was clear that she really didn't understand the whole situation with James. Who could blame her?

Remus hardly understood it himself, and he was the one that lived through it.

"Just believe me on this: James is alive, and I was helping him."

"With what?" Dora asked skeptically.

"Trusting us. Using magic again. The full moon."

"Okay." Dora said with a sigh. "You need to sit down and tell me everything." Reluctantly (he didn't want to hide things from her; he just really didn't want to relay the last two weeks – and their emotions – to anyone) he nodded.

She laid Teddy down in his crib. Amazingly, he was sleeping.

Then they went into the kitchen together, and Remus began his story.

He was almost done when a patronus flew through their window. It was a fox.

A voice that Remus recognized as Seamus Finnegan's came from it.

"Harry's at Hogwarts. We're going to fight. Tell the Order." Remus and Dora stared at the Patronus as it turned away and flew out of the window.

Then Dora jumped up and snapped into action.

"Remus, come on!" she bellowed. Just as he stood, Teddy began to cry once again. his mother's yell had woken him.

Dora froze, looking towards Teddy's room guiltily.

"Dora, go to Teddy! He needs you tonight," Remus said .

"I need to fight, Remus. I can't just hide here at home!"

"You have to, Nymphadora," Remus said. "Teddy needs you more than we do."

"But – but Remus! This is the final battle. If we lose this, we lose everything," Dora said. For once, she didn't protest against the use of her first name.

"Dora, if you go, then there's a chance that Teddy will become an orphan. Stay safe, Dora, and take care of him. I'll be back as soon as I can."

And with those final words, Remus stepped forward and kissed her.

"Take this," Dora breathed. She pressed something small into his hands. It was a picture of Teddy. His turquoise hair was bright, and he was laughing.

"Now you have something to fight for," she breathed, embracing him.

Then he left, and the only sound in the house was Teddy's crying.

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Remus apparated straight into the Hog's Head. He knew that he could trust Aberforth for news. Sure, he would be bitter and pessimistic about giving it to him, but he would still tell him.

"Aberforth," Remus gasped as he landed. "What's going on?" Remus was shocked to see that an entire crowd of people were in the Hog's Head. He spotted Bill, Fleur, and James standing a little bit away. Remus unconsciously went over to stand near them.

"Hogwarts is fighting," Aberforth growled. "This is how we're getting in." He gestured towards a passageway in the wall.

"Where will it take us?" Remus asked, staring at the dark hole.

"The Room of Requirement," Aberforth growled before hurrying away to take care of something else. Remus could remember that Harry had mentioned using the Room of Requirement for the D.A. during his fifth year.

"Remus?" Bill asked. Remus turned to face him.

"Yeah?"

"Where's Tonks?" Bill asked curiously. He had assumed they would be together. Remus smiled as he thought of Dora. She was safe. Nothing could – or would – hurt her or Teddy.

"She's taking care of Teddy at home," Remus said.

"You convinced her to stay home?" Bill asked, his voice skeptic.

"Yeah. She knows that she needs to protect both Teddy and herself – just in case."

"And she agreed to that?" Bill asked incredulously. Slowly, Remus nodded. Okay, he had run out on her before they had – technically – finished the conversation. Dora was probably screaming, raging, and throwing things at the wall currently.

However, she was still safe, and that was what mattered. Remus wished he could keep all the people he loved safe.

Everybody did. He was sure that there were people on both sides trying to protect loved ones.

Sometimes that didn't work, though.

It hadn't for James.

Now, James was going to try again – going to fight again.

This time he'd win. Or at least, he would if it was a storybook ending.

In a story, this would end with James getting his revenge and Harry winning. There was no guarantee that that was what would happen. No one could guarantee that.

Was James even ready to fight? He had only beat Remus once yesterday, and that had been by exploiting his concern over James.

That wouldn't work for a death eater.

And they would be targeting him.

"James?" Remus asked. "Are you ready for this?"

"Yes," James answered immediately. "I get another chance to protect my son and those I love. This time I won't fail."

"I hope so," Remus breathed to himself, not letting James hear. The last thing James needed was pessimistic friends.

"I'm sure of it," he said with a fake smile. James had been an auror, and he had been damn good at his job. If anyone could make it out of this battle unharmed, it was him. He was prepared, and he has a reason for fighting that goes past pure anger.

Anger and hate were strong, yes, but they fade and fall. Those who fight with only hate and anger do not win.

He was glad to see that James was fighting for his family, not for revenge.

"Are you ready?" James asked.

Remus was slightly discouraged by how James didn't notice that his smile was fake. The old James would have. However, it was only temporary. There was no _old_ James. They were one person, and he was Remus' best friend.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Remus answered with a grimace. "I'm fighting for Dora and for Teddy."

"What does Teddy look like?" James asked. It was clear that he was trying to dispel the tension that was constantly building as they waited to go through the passageway.

It worked – slightly.

"Oh-" Remus said, smiling faintly. "I have a picture!" He pulled out the photo that Dora had given him and handed it to James.

James looked at it and smile. Then he chuckled. To Remus, the sound meant more than any could possibly imagine.

"Sorry, mate, but Harry was cuter." Remus had to smile. It was so amazing to hear James joking again. Sure, it was weak and most likely fake, but it was better than nothing.

For the longest time – ever since Halloween so many years ago – he'd had nothing. Sadly, James' smile died as he spoke the next words.

"He must have gotten that from Lily." It was clear that James still grieved for his wife. Remus put a hand on his shoulder as silent support.

"I'm fighting for her tonight – and Harry, too, of course. Voldemort won't know what hit him."

Together, James, Remus, Fleur, and Bill entered the passage. After only a few minutes, they reached the Room of Requirement. Kingsley was there, as were a lot of old and current students. All were prepared to fight. Remus recognized quite a few from when he taught Defense. Harry entered the room near where James and Remus were standing in silent companionship.

"Harry, what's happening?" Remus asked, ignoring the students whispering about Harry.

"Voldemort's on his way, they're barricading the school. Snape's run for it – What are you doing here? How did you know?" Before Remus could answer, Fred Weasley replied.

"We sent messages to the rest of Dumbledore's Army. You can't expect everyone to miss the fun, Harry. The D.A. let the Order of the Phoenix know, and it all kind of snowballed," he said with a weak grin. He was nervous.

Only a fool wouldn't be.

"You're here?" Harry said wonderingly. Remus turned from Fred to face Harry again, wondering what he was talking about.

He was staring at James.

"I'm here to fight – to redeem myself, Harry," James breathed. Remus had to strain to hear the words, but Harry seemed to hear them with ease.

"You don't need to," Harry protested.

"I do, Harry," James said, slightly louder and more forceful. "I'm fighting for you and for your mother."

"I don't want you to get hurt," Harry objected.

"We're risking everything for tonight, Harry. We need all the help we can get. I'm not going to not fight just for my safety. For if we lose, it would have better for me to have died.

Trust me."

"I do," Harry breathed. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," James said. "Thank you for fighting while a lesser person would have hid. Thank you for staying strong, when most would have broke. Thank you for saving me, when most would have cared only for themselves."

"There's no reason to thank me," Harry said.

"Harry," James replied. "No matter what happens tonight, the entire Wizarding World should thank you. You give us hope, Harry. And that's what we need the most." Harry nodded slowly and smiled. In the background, Remus could hear the Weasleys talking to someone who had just come through the passageway. They were being so loud that Remus almost missed the next words that were spoken.

"Stay safe, dad."

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**Hey, guys! So, what do you think? I liked this chapter.**

**It's longer than usual! Yay!**

**Please review!**

**Thanks to all my old reviewers! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter!**


	18. Anger and Hate

"I will, son," James said, smiling faintly at Harry. Harry smiled for a moment, before rushing off. There was a lot that still had to be down.

"Everyone," Kingsley boomed suddenly, only a moment after Harry had exited the room. "We must organize our strategy. Come on, we will go to the Great Hall." They exited the room, following both Kingsley and McGonagall to the Great Hall. Once there, McGonagall took order.

First, she told the students that they were evacuating. Only those of age were allowed to stay and fight, something Remus was very glad for.

Any life lost in battle was a tragedy, but if children were dying, then it made it a whole lot worse. McGonagall was still speaking about the defenses already in place when she was interrupted.

"I know that you are preparing to fight," a horrible, hissing voice began. "Your efforts are futile. You cannot fight me. I do not want to kill you. I have great respect for the teachers of Hogwarts. I do not want to spill magical blood.

Give me Harry Potter, and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter, and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter, and you will be rewarded. You have until midnight."

There was silence in the Hall. Next to him, Remus could feel James trembling. That voice brought back horrid memories for him. Remus was surprised he wasn't showing more signs of how scared he was. Most of the younger students were crying, and they hadn't been through nearly as much as James had.

Then again, James was strong. Remus had always known that.

Then a Slytherin girl whose name Remus could not remember stood up.

"But he's there! Potter's _there! _Somebody grab him!" At once, there was a massive movement through the students. With horror, Remus thought for a moment that they had decided to attack Harry.

He couldn't have been more wrong. Instead, the three tables – Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor – stood up and faced the Slytherin table, wands out, protecting Harry.

It was amazing, and all who saw it, suddenly had a true understanding of how important Harry was to every fighter's amount of hope.

Without him, Remus doubted they could win.

With him, he knew they could.

"Thank you, Miss Parkinson," McGonagall said in a clipped tone. "You will leave the Hall first with Mr. Filch. The rest of your house will follow."

"Bitch," Remus heard James mutter as she walked by.

Slowly, the Great Hall emptied.

After all of the younger students had left – McGonagall made sure of it – Kingsley began directing things. Remus listened as he told the professors and other staff what to do. Then he moved to the grounds.

That was when he told Remus that he'd be leading a patrol out there. There would be three of them. Remus, Arthur, and Kingsley, himself, would lead them. After he said that, Remus began to find people to come with him. First, he turned to James.

"Will you come with me, James?" Remus asked.

"Of course, Remus."

"Bill? Fleur?" he asked.

"We're with you," Bill said determinedly. He turned to two students beside him. Remus recognized that they were Ravenclaws, but he could not remember their names. Before he even asked, they nodded assent. They asked a few others, and soon, their group was complete.

All three groups followed Kingsley out onto the grounds.

The battle was starting.

Remus, James, and the others positioned themselves around the grounds. They were close enough to hear each other – and to help each other. However, they were far enough away so they didn't have to worry about friendly fire.

They waited, silent, scared but unwilling to bow down to that fear. Instead, they used that fear to fuel their bodies and minds, making them sharper and stronger.

They were still there when the first death eaters flooded through the gates.

Despite how much he had expected it, Remus stiffened with shock as what seemed to be a sea of black ran towards them.

Every death eater was there.

They were ridiculously outnumbered.

James was the first to react.

"Stupefy!" he yelled. The closest death eater avoided it and turned to face him.

"What do we have here?" he growled. Remus recognized Yaxley. "James Potter. The Dark Lord wants you dead, boy."

"I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint him," James snarled, sending off multiple spells.

That was all Remus heard before being thrown into a fight himself. He didn't recognize the death eater, but that didn't matter. Curses flew around him. They weren't all aimed at him. A killing curse passed by only inches to his left.

Oh.

That truly put everything into perspective. He had, obviously, known that death was a large possibility, but now, it truly registered to him.

He could die.

He could leave James alone.

Tonks would be a widow.

Teddy would have no father.

All because of one curse.

And that was bloody terrifying.

Remus shot a well-timed stunner at the death eater, and it hit. The death eater fell, only to have another take its place.

He glanced towards James, wanting to protect him. James was holding his own. Yaxley was gone. Now, he was fighting another. Remus could hear faint voices over the screamed spells and shouts. They were taunting each other.

A purple spell flashed over his head. Remus scolded himself for pausing in battle. It was the worst thing he could do. Getting distracted was the last thing he needed.

A woman's laughter hit his ears. _Bellatrix. _A hot anger flew through him, and he ran forward, shooting spells off randomly as he went.

"Remus!" he heard James yell, but it didn't matter.

She killed Sirius. Bellatrix was the reason that one of his best friends was dead. He was her family, too, and that made it worse. She was a monster; she deserved to die. There was nothing else he could think of…

The rage was powerful; the hate was overwhelming. Nothing mattered more than calming his need for revenge.

She tortured Frank and Alice.

She tortured James.

She killed Sirius.

It was time for her to die.

"Sectumsempra!" he shouted. It surprised him even as he cast it, surrounded by sharp, vibrant streaks of color, hearing the pandemonium that was erupting around him.

Snape had used it once – on James. It had been because James wouldn't tell him where the Marauders went on full moon. James had been seriously injured.

Sirius had told Snape how to get under the willow for revenge.

Now, he used the same spell to get revenge for Sirius.

"Remus!" he heard a loud woman's voice call. His heart pounded as he recognized the yell. Dora.

"Dora!" he yelled, his anger forgotten. Somewhere throughout the streaks of color that lit up the sky was his wife. He peered through the darkness, trying to still keep an eye on Bellatrix. The curse had nicked her, only giving her one, long cut on her arm. It wasn't as powerful as he had hoped.

"Remus!" Dora yelled again. Now, he saw her. She was on the opposite side of Bellatrix.

Bellatrix raised her wand – which she had dropped when the spell hit - and laughed.

It was only then that Remus remembered what he had thought before.

He knew how terrible it was to fight a battle on anger and hate.

He had just done that.

Remus was lucky that he wasn't dead.

Bellatrix, her voice punctuated by wild giggles, yelled,

"Avada Kedavra!" It wasn't aimed at him, but it felt like it had been.

He watched as the curse struck his wife, cutting her strings like a marionette. Her arms were limp and she crumpled, as if her legs could no longer stand.

Remus saw it again, though his eyes were still open. The curse had flown – Merlin, he hadn't reacted – and it struck her, lighting her face, her beautiful eyes, up with a green fire.

It seemed to reflect against her beauty for a moment.

Then it swallowed it.

And it swallowed her.

"Dora!" he yelled hoarsely, running towards her. He raised his wand at Bellatrix again. Shaking with anger, he shot two curses – dark curses – at her. She stepped back, suddenly afraid.

"Run," he whispered, still trembling. "Run. Or I'll kill you."

She listened, and in a moment, she was gone.

"Dora?" Remus whimpered. She still hadn't moved. He ran towards her, stumbling as he got closer, and finally falling to his knees.

He crawled the last few feet to kneel by her head. Remus picked her up, pulling her into his arms.

"Wake up, please, Dora!" he cried. "Wake up. For – for Teddy. For me. You left us, Dora. Please don't leave us. Don't leave me."

She didn't answer. He saw that her eyes, her beautiful eyes, were open, staring at nothing with a fearful gaze. He stared at them. Was there love in her gaze?

No.

But she had seen him. Didn't she love him?

He could have saved her.

But – instead, he saw the flash of green again. Remus saw how it lit up her eyes, and how she appeared to stumble before collapsing.

"Dora," he cried. "Please, Dora! For – for Teddy!" He pulled out the picture and held it before her unseeing eyes.

"For – for Teddy…" She didn't react. Didn't she want to fight? For Teddy?

"Remus!" someone called. He slowly looked up, blinking at the flickering jets of light.

They were too bright when the light of the world was extinguished.

"Remus!" the person called again. After a minute, Remus recognized it as James. "Please, Remus! Get up. It's okay! You have to fight."

Remus shook his head.

"No. It's not. The fight's over."

"It's not," James promised. "Remus!" A flicker of green was shooting towards him. Remus recognized Dolohav on the other end of it. He was sneering.

"Remus!" James cried again when his friend didn't move.

Something flickered through Remus' grieving mind. A green light. Dora. It was coming towards him. He couldn't get away.

_She was dead._

He couldn't move _(she was dead)_ fast enough. Did he want to? Yes, (_she was dead)_ something whispered in his mind.

For – for _(she was dead)…_

Why? For _(she was dead)_ James?

Did he deserve to live?

Did he want to?

_She was dead…_

The green light flew ever closer, filling his vision.

Suddenly, a dark shape filled his vision. It took him a second _(she was dead)_ to realize it was James.

Then something pounded into him, and everything fell to black.

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**Hey, guys! I'm sorry for the sad ending. Tonks needed to die. I'm actually crying as I write this. **

**So, please tell me your thoughts. I hope you enjoy the multiple updates today. **

**Happy Easter, by the way. Wow, I'm depressed.**

**Please review.**

**Thanks to all my old reviewers.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**


	19. The Dead

James was breathing heavily from the running. Blood pounded in his ears – his own heartbeat echoing through his body. He was lying crumpled on his side. Pain was running through his side, but it wasn't bad; he had had much worse before. Slowly, he stood.

He was alive.

And he shouldn't been.

Just seconds before, he had thrown himself into the path of a killing curse. _Avada Kedavra._

Dolohav had shot it.

He turned around. Dolohav was gone.

"Remus?" James asked, his voice panicky. There was no answer. "Remus!" he cried again, louder.

There was no answer. Finally, James looked down. There were two forms on the floor. One had long pink hair.

_Tonks._

The other was lying over her body, as if protecting it. His hand was latched to hers , and their faces were centimetres apart. James saw his face and froze as his eyes traced over multiple scars and open, amber eyes.

_Remus._

James fell to his knees. He couldn't be dead. Remus couldn't be dead.

Remus had promised him to be there, to help him.

He had broken his promise.

"Remus!" James said with a sob.

He had meant to die; he'd dove in front of the curse.

In a story, it would have worked. He would have died, and Remus would have lived. Sure, Remus would have been upset, but he also would have been alive.

It spoke of how treacherous the world was. Kneeling down, James pulled Remus' head off of Tonk's chest.

"Remus – Remus, please," he begged. Remus' open eyes stared blankly at James.

"Please, Remus, wake up." He didn't.

James knew he was dead; there was no doubt in his mind. He had seen many die, and Remus' unblinking eyes spoke of death – as much as he wished they didn't.

"Remus," James moaned, brushing a trembling hand through Remus' hair.

He had missed. James had meant to give his life for someone.

"It's not fair!" he yelled. "Why do you get to die when I have to live?" He shoved Remus off of him and stood.

"Just kill me," he pleaded, but there was no one there to hear him. "Kill me." He looked around the battlefield. They weren't doing well. There seemed to be more death eaters than when they started the battle.

James took a step away only to fall to his knees again.

"Please," he moaned. "Remus…"

Tonks had died, and Remus had seemed heartbroken – as broken as he had been when Lily died. Then Remus died.

It was as simple as it.

And as complicated.

For Remus, there was no waiting – alive – for years while knowing their wife was dead. James found himself feeling glad for Remus.

He wouldn't go through what James did.

Remus left Teddy behind. The thought ran through his head suddenly. He reached down and grabbed the picture lying face up by Tonks' head. She was staring into it with her death-gaze, appearing as if she could see it.

There was no way she could. He looked into the picture, seeing Teddy. He was in Tonks' arms. She was smiling, and Teddy, with his bright tufts of hair, waved his fists around madly.

_Harry._

Harry was James' son. He had grown up alone, as if both of his parents were dead.

He grew up like Teddy would.

Suddenly, James had an overwhelming desire to see Harry. Once again, he stood, and this time, he did not fall. Slipping Teddy's photo into his pocket, he glanced back, seeing that the battle appeared to almost be clearing up.

Where were Bill and the others? HE could see nothing but shapes of people and the bright flashes of light. The screams of those around him drowned out his other senses.

Then the screams stopped. Shock filled the air, as thick – as suffocating – as wet wool.

"You have fought valiantly," said the voice that James knew so well – and hated so much. "Lord Voldemort knows how to value bravery. Yet, you have sustained heavy losses. If you continue to resist me, you will all die, one by one. I do not wish this to happen. Every drop of magical blood spilled is a loss and a waste. Lord Voldemort is merciful. I command my forces to retreat immediately. You have one hour. Dispose of your dead with dignity. Treat your injured.

I speak now, Harry Potter, directly to you. You have permitted your friends to die for you, rather than face me yourself. I shall wait for one hour in the Forbidden Forest. If, at the end of that hour, you have not come to me, have not given yourself up, the battle recommences. This time, I shall enter the fray myself, Harry Potter, and I shall find you, and I shall punish ever last man, woman, and child who has tried to conceal you from me. One hour." James shook his head to try to forget the voice. It hurt to hear it, and it hurt to hear what it said.

Harry couldn't give himself up.

James watched silently as the death eaters ran away. Some people tried to curse as they went. Most, however, were tired and glad to see that they had gone – if only temporary.

After they were gone, the other fighters began to make their way slowly to the castle itself. James noticed Bill walking slowly – exhausted – towards Hogwarts.

"Bill," he called out among the screams of those trying to find their families. Bill turned towards James' voice, which had been hoarse and near broken.

Seeing James, Bill walked over, not knowing why James had called his name. When he got closer, Bill could see Remus and Tonks still lying close to each other – even in death.

"R – Remus?" Bill whispered hoarsely. "And Tonks?" James didn't reply. What could he have said?

"We – we should move their bodies inside," Bill said quietly. There were unshed tears in his eyes. James only nodded. Then, together, they took out their wands and levitated the bodies towards the castle.

They didn't speak as they walked. There was nothing to say.

James saw the devastation in Hogwarts, the broken stones, the crumbled statues.

It was terrible to see the castle he had loved so much in such horrid condition.

They entered the Great Hall. A few people turned to look as they levitated the bodies in, but most people were too absorbed in mourning the ones they loved.

So many were dead…

Remus and Tonks were laid, side by side, hands still entwined. Almost as soon as they were down, Bill noticed his family. They were all crying by the body of – the body of one of his brothers. He could only see the red hair from the distance. Running, needing to see who it was, Bill ran over.

_Fred._

_No._

George pulled him into a hug as soon as he got there.

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James stared at the bodies around him. He hadn't left Remus' side. Desperately, he scanned the faces of those around him, looking for Harry. Finally, Harry slipped in. he stood a ways away from the other Weasleys – no doubt he felt he was intruding on a family moment. Glancing once more at Remus, James walked over to Harry.

Someone grabbed his arm before he got there.

"James?" Luna asked with a small, fake smile. "I'm glad to see you."

"You too, Luna," James said in a choked voice. She released his arm and continued to help the nurse.

He continued on, walking towards Harry. When he got there, he saw that Harry was clutching a small vial in his hands. That didn't matter, though. What truly mattered was the expression of pure guilt on his face as he looked around.

"It wasn't your fault," James said quietly. Harry jumped and spun around.

"Don't feel guilty," James continued. "Every one of these people fought not for you but for the entire Wizarding World." Harry only nodded before looking back to where the Weasley kid was lying.

"Who was he?" James asked. He could tell that Harry needed someone to talk to, and James promised himself that it would be him.

"Fred," Harry whispered brokenly. "He was – he was –" Harry stopped and took a deep breath.

"He was a friend and a brother."

"He died knowing that he was protecting his friends and his brothers. There is no better way to die."

"He shouldn't have – he shouldn't have," Harry said weakly.

"No one should have. Tonks and – and Remus shouldn't have." Harry looked at James so quickly.

"They're dead?" he asked incredulously. James nodded.

"They're together – even in death."

"I – I need to go," Harry said. Before James could protest, Harry had walked away.

He didn't follow Harry.

Sometimes, it was best to just leave someone alone.

James hoped that this was one of those times.

Turning back, he walked over to where Remus and Tonks were lying.

Kneeling beside them, he finally let his tears fall.

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**Hey guys! Wow, that was a really sad chapter. The next chapter will be the resurrection stone, though! So, Remus is in it! **

**It'll also be the last chapter before the epilogue. Wow, I cannot believe that this story is almost done! That's amazing!**

**Hey, if anyone wants to check it out, I made a one-shot called "Remember to Listen." It's about when the James, Sirius, and Peter find out Remus is a werewolf and confront him on it.**

**Thanks to all my reviewers!**

**Please review this chapter! They really do inspire me!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

(Haha, the AN (minus this part) was exactly 100 words)


	20. The Splitting of Souls

James didn't know how long he sat by Remus' side. The tears kept flowing, and memories flashed across his eyes. Moony. The Marauders.

Every time he thought he was done, another tear came. No one bothered him. Everyone else mourned just as strongly and none could offer the comfort they needed themselves.

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Harry trembled as he walked into the forest. This was it. He was going to die.

He had to die.

If he was dead, then Voldemort was mortal. He wondered who would kill Voldemort in the end. Perhaps Neville.

Maybe Neville was the chosen one after all.

Perhaps James.

He certainly had the reason to.

Hermione and Ron could also do it – after they killed the snake of course.

Perhaps, he could kill the snake before he died himself.

Died himself. The words repeated themselves in his head. He was going to die.

It was the close.

The snitch that Dumbledore had given him suddenly popped into his head.

_I open at the close._

He pulled it out and whispered,

"_I am ready to die."_

The snitch opened, revealing a small black stone.

The stone that had been – until recently – in a ring and in a Horcrux.

The Resurrection Stone.

He turned it thrice in hand and closed his eyes.

He wanted everyone he cared for to come, everyone who had died for him. Harry needed them now. He needed them one more time before he died.

When he opened his eyes, he saw four figures.

The first was his mother. She stood tall and beautiful, like he had imagined. She was smiling at him proudly, looking like she was about to proclaim,

"_That's my son!"_

He almost wished she would.

The next was Lupin. He was also smiling, and the smile seemed to come a lot easier in death than in life. Lupin was less shabby, but his gaze also held a bit of sadness.

_Teddy_.

Sirius was the third figure. His face was no longer lined and old – speaking of more years than he had lived. Instead, it was youthful and arrogant looking. It seemed like he stepped out of one of the pictures in Harry's photo album.

The fourth figure was both saddening and surprising.

It was James.

James looked young – the white in his hair was gone. The shadows in his eyes had disappeared. He was also smiling – something that the James he knew had only done once in Harry's presence.

Harry knew that both the James standing here and the James he knew were real.

How was that possible?

"How are you here?" Harry whispered. "You're not- Right?"

"I am dead, but I am also alive, Harry," James said. His voice was fuller compared to the James Harry knew. His held that slight note of happiness. The James he knew didn't have that.

"How is that-" Harry began before cutting off.

"In the cellar, I went through horrors that are scarcely imaginable. Torture tears the soul, Harry. Both the castor and the victim are affected. Small tears began to appear in my soul, but they didn't stop." Harry noticed that the others had tears streaming from their eyes.

"Then it broke. And I went mad."

"But you aren't-" Harry started. James held up a hand. It was clearly hard for him to explain, and Harry promised himself to not make it harder by interrupting.

"I love you, Harry. More than anything. At best, what you should have found in the Malfoy's Cellar was my body – broken, unusable. Much like Frank or Alice Longbottom; their souls were torn into even smaller pieces than mine." James paused and ran a hand through his hair.

It was an action that Harry had seen the other James never do.

"But my love for you held the small bit of my soul left in my body together. And when you found him – for it is not me, only an echo of me – his bit of soul recognized you. Even though he didn't recognize you himself." James sighed and paused.

"Even when he didn't believe you, his bit of soul knew who you were. You are what keeps him alive, Harry. Without you, his bit of soul would depart and join mine.

Both he and I love you more than anything else. If we didn't, then our soul would strive to reconnect itself, and he would die."

"But I'm going to die," Harry whispered.

"It will be okay, Harry. You are the only reason he wants to stay in this world. It is better for our souls to reconnect. He will be happy with us."

"So James never was my father?" Harry asked. He knew he should have worded that better.

"He is your father, Harry, because he is a part of me. We may be separate for now, but at one point, we were together, and at one point, I was in that body.

We share parts of a soul, Harry. I am with those who died, with Remus and Sirius and Lily.

But your James is with those who live. With you and with Teddy. And you need him there."

"He still misses mum and Sirius and Remus," Harry said.

"And he will. I missed them while they were alive. (Though, I had hoped not to see them for a long time.) His bit of soul loves them, too, and he will miss them greatly." Harry nodded.

"So – Priori Incantantem – in fourth year?"

"That was me," James said. "I love you, too, Harry. And I'll protect you in any way I can at any time I can."

"You have been so brave," Lily said suddenly. He turned to face her.

"You have faced trials most can hardly imagine – and you have won."

"You're nearly there, son," James put in. "Very close. We are… so proud of you."

"Does it hurt?" Harry breathed.

"Dying?" Sirius said. "Not at all. Quicker and easier than falling asleep."

"And he will want it to be quick. He wants it over," Lupin said.

"I didn't want you to die – any of you," Harry said. The words were tumbling out of his lips without him planning on what to say. "I'm sorry –"

"Right after you'd had your son… Remus, I'm sorry –"

"I am sorry, too," Lupin said. "Sorry I will never know him… but he will know why I died and I hope he will understand. I was trying to make a world in which he could live a happier life."

"You'll stay with me," Harry breathed.

"Until the very end," James said.

"They won't be able to see you?"

"We are a part of you," Sirius said. "Invisible to anyone else."

Harry looked at them one more time, sweeping his gaze across all of them. Finally, he stopped before his mother.

"Stay close to me," he said quietly.

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"Harry!" James yelled. He could see the body lying in Hagrid's arms.

"No – no, Harry," he sobbed. Other people – teachers, Order members, students – were coming out. James heard a few others call. Voldemort was speaking, but James could hear nothing over the pounding of blood in his head. He fell to his knees, feeling as if his chest was going to rip.

Harry was dead.

Harry was –

He couldn't say it.

He couldn't think it.

First Lily, then Sirius, then Remus, and now Harry.

Why was he still living?

His light was dead.

Voldemort had won.

James hardly noticed as the snake – Nagini – fell under Neville Longbottom's sword. The first time he was able to sctually hear anything was when Voldemort put the burning hat on Neville's head.

James didn't know why Voldemort was doing that, but he recognized Neville.

Or – at least – recognized the resemblance to Neville's parents that was present on his face and body.

He was truly Frank and Alice's son.

James, clenching his hands into fists, stepped forward.

It didn't matter what he did now. Harry was dead.

He chouldn't live without Harry.

Voldemort laughed when he saw James.

"James Potter! I wouldn't have thought you were fighting. You were insane." James ignored the loud murmuring from the crowd behind him.

They hadn't known he was alive.

"You will die, Voldemort. For what you have done."

"So you are still insane, Potter," Voldemort said. "Haven't you realized the battle is over?"

"It won't be over until you are dead," James said. Voldemort laughed.

He dropped the burning hat on Neville's head almost absently before turning back to James.

And that was when everything turned pear shaped.

The giants began to attack, and Centaurs shot arrows at the death eaters. Among all the confusion, James heard one voice clearly.

It was Hagrid.

"HARRY! HARRY! WHERE'S HARRY!" James looked around desperately before being thrown into a duel. James saw Voldemort running towards the Great Hall. James followed. He'd finish his son's noble work or die trying.

Voldemort was killing all those he could see. Out of the corner of his eyes, James saw Molly Weasley take Bellatrix Lestrange down.

Voldemort, seeing the death of one of his prized slaves, turned to her angrily.

Then there was a cry of "Protego!"

And Harry Potter emerged from an invisibility cloak.

He was alive.

And soon, James knew, Voldemort would be dead.

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**Hey, guys! I hope you are happy that I updated twice in one day again!**

**Tell me what you thought of my explanation!**

**Please review! **

**There's only the epilogue left!**

**Thanks to all my old reviewers!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter!**


	21. The Epilogue

"James Sirius Potter!" Ginny cried. In truth, she was extremely angry with her son. When she had woken up, she had found that there were two ears poking out of her head.

Well, not that there weren't normally two ears, but now, they were long and pointed up.

Like a deer's.

Turning back to the bedroom, she saw that Harry – who was still sleeping (lazy git) – had antlers.

James Sirius came running in with an innocent expression on his face. He was entering Hogwarts this year. It was August 21st, and it was clear that he was extremely excited. Remembering her own excitement, she could understand why.

"Did you do this?" she said. He had always been good with accidental magic.

"Grandpa showed me how!" James Sirius said. Ah, Grandpa. James Sirius didn't mean her father, Arthur Weasley. He meant Harry's father – James Potter.

James had been a bad influence on her children since day one. If one of them pulled some sort of prank, then it was usually at his urging.

James Sirius was going to be a nightmare at school.

The last she heard, McGonagall was planning on retiring the day before he came. James said she wouldn't; he said that she, secretly, of course, loved the Marauders.

McGonagall said the only good thing about them was that they helped her beat Slytherin in Quidditch.

Although, now, of course, she was meant to not take sides as the Headmaster.

"James!" a voice came from outside the bathroom door. "I told you not to say that!"

"I thought you said to say that!" James Sirius protested.

"James! Get in here!" Ginny cried. James Sirius knew that she wasn't speaking to him. Slowly, as if he didn't have an irate redhead waiting for him, James ambled into the room.

"I can't believe you encourage him like this," Ginny ranted. "He wouldn't do this stuff if it wasn't for you!"

"Yeah. Because George wouldn't have corrupted him at all." Ginny frowned. Her brother had always been a role model for James Sirius – which scared both his parents. Speaking of Harry, he was beginning to stir.

"Ginny?" he asked. "What time is it?"

"Nine," Ginny said shortly. She was a bit frustrated. Harry usually had to work early hours as an auror, but he'd gotten the day off.

They were going to Diagon Alley today to get James Sirius' school stuff.

James Sirius in public – not even mentioning his siblings – was enough to need two parents.

Plus, James was coming as well.

The group as a whole would get a lot of strange stares as they walked down the alley.

James never did become the man he had been before Halloween of 1981, but he had gotten much better.

It was amazing that he had healed so much.

Harry had helped him. So had she, of course, and the other members in their family.

The birth of James Sirius and their other children had helped James. It seemed to make him whole again.

And he made their family whole.

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**I can't believe it. This is finished. **

**Thank you so much to everyone that reviewed. That really inspired me to finish this fic even when the characters were not agreeing with me.**

**I'm thinking of starting a new fic soon, so keep watching for that.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter**

**Thank you again.**


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